A Directioner's Birthday Dream
by KDLFiction
Summary: When Jara's Best friend get her tickets for the One Direction Tickets, in London, England, they encounter many things, including frienship, betrayal, and love. See this Directioner's dream birthday, in this Fan Fiction, called "A Directioner's Dream Birthday." -For My BFF, Jara Hall!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Best Friends Have The Best Plans**

_**Jara's POV:**_  
I was sitting in my room, creating little anime clay figures of my favorite band _ever_, One Direction, when my… okay, sixth favorite person in the world -my best friend, Kayla- slammed into my room.  
She had her pink overnight bag slung over her shoulder, her red laptop case in one hand, the other clutching my little sister Kassie, who was grinning her sadistic smile. Kayla wrinkled her nose, "Still haven't cleaned this place, have you?"  
I laugh, "Of course not! I am an artist, and an artist puts art first, cleanliness second!"  
"Oh, so that's your excuse?" she rolled her eyes, and Kassie planted a loud kiss on her cheek.  
"Bye bye!" she said, and squirmed free of my best friend's grasp, and ran back downstairs to my mother.  
Kayla sighed, "What are you up to, now, Jaranardo Devin chi?"  
I hold up my lump of clay, that would soon become Harry Styles -curls and all.  
She nodded, "Impressive…" she looked around my shoulder, at the other finished figurines on my wooden desk. "Oh… Harry?"  
I nod, smiling. "He's not done yet. I still need to shape, form, cook, and color him… okay, I'm not even started on him yet."  
She laughed, clearing a spot for her bags on the floor with her foot. When she finished that, she pulled her Dell out of her bag, and opened it, sinking onto my unmade bed. "So, almost 19-year-old who still lives with her parents, you have anything planned for the big day?"  
I scoffed, "Of course not, you know me!"  
She smiled, and typed something on her computer, then turned it toward me. "Good, because I might have planned something for us. You, me, and Kota."  
I stared at her email inbox, with unread notifications from Twitter, Facebook, Skype, and about a million other social networking sites and MMO's. "And what is that?"  
"What email sticks out to you?" she asked, a scary grin resting below her glasses.  
I squinted, "Er… the only read one that isn't spam?"  
"Uh huh!"  
"What is it?"  
"You know that chick I was talking about a while back, the one with connections?" she started excitedly, turning the computer back to herself.  
I raised an eyebrow, "No." She sighed, and I asked, "Have you lost your mind?"  
She waved off my joking question, "Well, she's my cousin, and she -somehow- managed to get… tickets."  
I sat up strait, setting Mr. Dimples back on my crowded desk. "Tickets? For…what?"  
She raised an eyebrow, "Let's see, who would I be just as excited as I know you will be to go see, and meet _backstage_?"  
I shrugged, "Now that you say 'backstage' it could be anybody."  
She rolled her eyes again, turning the screen back to me, and now, I see the open email, with a picture of three tickets… with the words, "One Direction! Live in concert, in their hometown London!" written in bold print  
I gasp, and fall backwards out of my chair, while she laughs her but off. Here I am having a fangirl seizure in the middle of my bedroom, while she busts a gut at my moment. When I straighten up, gasping for air, I start to laugh, and she looks at me with a curious expression. "This is a sick joke. You're kidding, right?" she shook her head, clearly proud of her accomplishment. "You're not? You mean… I am going to see… ONE DIRECTION IN CONCERT?"  
"With backstage passes. In London." she added, smiling again.  
I grinned so hard my face hurt, and I hugged her, crushing her laptop between us. When I spoke again, pulling away from her, I used my terrible British accent, "I will talk like this the whole trip! And I will never shut up!"  
She laughed, hitting me on the shoulder. "Yes, and what do you have to say to me?"  
"Thank you, thank you. THANK YOU!" I bounce up and down, fangirling again. "Wait, how are we going to afford the trip?"  
"There we go. Miranda has been talking to the guys about us, and they really wanted to meet us, so… they might be paying for the flight, and a hotel room. We have to pay for food, but the boys said they can't wait to meet us!"  
"Wait, Miranda?"  
She nodded, "Yeah, my cousin."  
"And she knows One Direction… personally?" I ask, beginning to pace along my floor, trudging a path through the papers, dirty clothes, and assorted everything's.  
"She's their manager's wife… rarely misses a concert." she said coolly, like I would, if I was trying to flirt with a random guy by telling him I like to knit with the ladies at the nursing home.  
I laugh, "Wow. When you said 'connections', you meant _Direction Detection Connections_, didn't you?"  
"Maybe," she mumbled smugly, and I shook my head at her. "Your parents know, they're fine with it, as long as we stick together."  
"Wow, I can't believe this is happening!" I shriek, plopping back onto my wooden desk chair, disturbing my glass of water, that falls into the trash can. I scowl at it.  
Kayla reached out and touched my shoulder. "It's real. I'm just hoping this frees me from getting you any more presents until you're thirty?"  
I rolled my eyes, "You wish!"  
We both laughed.

_**Kayla's POV:**_  
I literally thought Jara was going to pee herself when I'd told her we got 1D tickets, backstage passes, and a free hotel room, in LONDON FREAKING ENGLAND. When we boarded our flight and took our seats beside each other -me by the window, and Kota on Jara's other side- she wouldn't shut up, until we were halfway across the Pacific ocean. Either that or I fell asleep in the middle of one of her many fangirl rants. Not sure which one.

London airport was huge, and crowded, and _beautiful as I'll get out_. We almost missed my cousin Miranda waving her arms in the air and screaming our names. Somehow, she didn't catch our attention as much as the way our shoes slid on the floor if we ran, despite her bright orange hair.

She caught me up in an embrace, as Jara bounced on the balls of her feet in agitation. "When can we meet them?"

Miranda raised an eyebrow at her, then me. And I -being Jara's BFF- knew exactly what she meant. "When we meet them, we will be backstage at their concert." I explained.

She nodded, clearly disappointed at the fact that we weren't meeting them straight away. I smiled at her impatience -typical Jara- and Miranda led us to the car. Not a limo, sadly, but big enough to hold the three of us, our luggage, Miranda and her husband, Paul, with room to spare. And _cup holders_, of course.

Jara wouldn't quit tapping her fingers on the side of the leather seat, and she kept sighing no matter how many times I told her it was annoying. I resorted, eventually, to put my ear buds in and looked at the city through the window. I felt a tap on my arm as the first song was ending, breaking me out of my mental music video. It was Jara; who else would it be? I paused the beginning of the song, and pulled out my right bud. "Huh?"

"What are you listening to?" she asked, indicating my iPod.

"Adele," I told her, offering her my ear bud, switching my other to the other ear. She took it, smiling. "Suitable, considering we're in England."

I smiled too, turning the music back on. What else was I supposed to do? Friends are supposed to stick together, no matter how annoying, childish, boring, or smelly they are. And they never went separate ways over boys. We might have been 19, but we still didn't let "_love_" get in between us.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: London… Freaking… ENGLAND.**

_**Jara's POV:**_

"Ahhhhhh!"

That was mine, Kayla's, and Kota's simultaneous reaction to our insanely _big_ hotel suite. "I thought you said they got us a _room_." Kayla said, dropping her bags in front of a dark, fluffy couch, then sinking down on it herself.

"We needed a place to stay, so we decided it was best to let you girls tag along with us," Miranda said, pointing to one of the doorways of the small hallway, right off the living area and kitchen. "You will be staying in there. Two Queen beds. Sorry, two of you will have to sleep together."

Kota snorted into the back of her hand. I hit her arm.

"I'll sleep on the floor, it's alright," Kayla said, turning the large TV on with the remote she immediately located.

"Kayla, this is a hotel. The floors are dirtier than my bedroom," I said.

"Fine, I'll sleep on the couch," she claimed, sliding down further into it, her scarf covering her mouth. "I've slept in the same bed as you once, and I'm not making that mistake again."

"You have no proof that I kicked you," I snapped.

She rolled her eyes, "No, but I did upload that video of you snoring to YouTube."

I gasp, "You did _not!_"

"Yeah, I-"

"Enough!" Miranda shouted. We all turned to look at her. "You can sleep wherever you want! You're all jet-lagged, anyway."

"That explains my tiredness in the middle of the day, " Kayla mumbled, turning on her side, curling into a ball, and burying her face in the cushion.

"You should all get to bed," Miranda waved her hands, and she ducked into the door that I only assumed was her and Paul's room.

I sighed, and gathered up my bags. Kota followed me. By the time I made it to my bed, fully dressed, I heard Kayla's soft snores coming from the next room.

I woke in the early morning, a plus, considering we went to sleep at about three in the evening, London time. Of course, the means by which I woke weren't pleasant. I had somehow managed to get my scarf wrapped so tightly around my neck in my sleep, that I was nearly strangled. Wonderful. A lovely start to this great day.

I sat up, sweating under my layers, which soon found themselves in my bag, and I was in only my jeans and t-shirt. Sighing, I went in to the kitchen, avoiding the couch where Kayla still slept. If she was anything like she was at home, we wouldn't see her eyes open for a few more hours. If not… we will be living with Grumpy the Dwarf for the rest of the day. Miranda was up pouring a cup of coffee for herself. She was wearing a purple robe and black pants. The woman was Halloween on feet.

She looked up when I leaned against the counter, and smiled. "Hey." I mumbled.

"Good morning," she said, examining me. "Want some coffee?

I wrinkled my nose.

She laughed, "I take that as a 'no.'" I nod, and she takes a sip from her mug. "Sleep well?"

"Mm-hmm," I mumble. "Do we have any toast and Nutella?"

"No, but we can have room service when the others get up."

I clap my hands, then stop when Kayla growls from behind me. I cover my mouth with my hand, stifling a laugh.

Miranda was smiling, "Is she always that grumpy?"

"No, and from what I remember, she's never been jet-lagged before now. Usually, she's all," I make jazz hands, "sunshine and rainbows!"

As Miranda began to laugh, Kayla hissed, "I can hear you, you know!"

"Sorry!"

"No, you're not," she mumbled, rolling over on her back, and stretching.

"Good morning to you, too!" I turned back to Miranda, shaking my head.

"You girls better get going," she stepped around me, and went into her room. She poked her head out. "Paul and I will be dropping you off to shop, until we are allowed to let you meet the lads this afternoon."

_**Kayla's POV:**_

I would've laughed at Jara's sunshine and rainbows comment, if it hadn't woke me up.

My shower was cold -since I was the last to use it-; I dropped my only bra I packed into the toilet, I ripped the back pocket of my favorite jeans, and I forgot to take my glasses off before I went to bed, so they were bent crooked. So, all in all, I was going to look like a skank while shopping in a new city.

Luckily, my jacket fell to my knees, hiding the bra and pant problem, and I could wear a hat to cover my frizzy hair, but the glasses couldn't be helped. And I _hated_ wearing contacts. But they were better than being blind. By not wearing glasses, that meant I had to wear makeup so that my eyes didn't look so small on my awkward face. Great, another thing I hated.

Jara and Kota wouldn't quit bouncing off the walls -lucky non-glasses-wearing ducks. And Jara kept rambling on about Harry, and his curls and third and fourth nipples; Kota kept repeating "OMG, Zayn is so hot! I can't wait to meet him!" I just sat there on the couch and ate my hot cereal. Personally, I couldn't care less about any one in particular. Sure, they were all cute, and their music was great, but I wasn't into dating, or crushes, or any of that other girly stuff. I cared about art, loved ones, school, and anything but boys. I thought it made me weird, but I soon discovered my weirdness is an apparent sign of cuteness.

_**Jara's POV: **_

Kayla, sadly, was having a bad day. A _very_ bad day. Like, bra in the toilet, butt visible through best pants, bad. Even after having some oatmeal and putting her favorite hoodie on under her coat, she was scowling. Kota and I tried to cheer her up by telling her we would see the boys soon enough, but she only nodded, and laid back her head.

"She's only jet-lagged," Kota reassured me as we climbed out of the car. I had been casting glances at my other friend the entire morning.

"Are you sure, she's not like this when she's tired," I said, pushing the front glass door open to the mall and holding it for the others. "She's usually drinking Mountain Dew and trying not to pass out." I cast another glance at her, "I would at least figure she'd be vlogging." Kota, Kayla, and I were all three dedicated vloggers, although we didn't have that many viewers. But hey, it was fun.

"She'll be fine," Kota waved off my concern, linking arms with Kayla and I. "Oh, look! A Claire's Store!"

Kayla looked up, and a hint of a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth as she surveyed the many stores, and over-decoration around us.

We had to get new clothes. All of us. We couldn't meet One Direction, our future husbands, looking like the rest of the fan-girls. Oh, no. We had to go up and above. I'm not talking paint ourselves blue and call ourselves Smurfs, but something a little more… _done up_, than what we usually wore. That meant we had to go into every store, and look for something we couldn't live without.

Miranda went way overboard when we'd said we needed more money. A hundred pounds for each of us was more than what we needed, but we took it when she'd explained how prices are much different in England. And we were on our way.

In the first five stores, we all managed to figure out what we wanted. Kota wanted to be punky, but girly -not surprising, with her. Kayla wanted something that didn't scream "Hey pedophiles! Come and get me!" but still looked pretty / dorky. And _I_ wanted to be able to pull off something in between them both. I even had it pictured in my head- dark pink, ruffled shirt, skinny jeans, and a pair of black flats. And I eventually found them all.

In the last successful store we went to, I grabbed the shirt and pants from my other bags, along with my shoes and ear rings, and put them all on. As the three of us sat in that dressing room, debating how good I looked -good, super good, or dazzling- I kept picturing me getting a long-awaited hug from Harry Styles.

_**Kayla's POV:**_

Somewhere in between walking into that mall, and lunch, I had gotten into a better mood. And, I also got a super cute outfit, that I thought was suitable for the occasion. A geeky Pokémon t-shirt, thigh-length blue skirt, and a pair of high-top converse. _That_ made me happy. The super-great veggie burger I had for lunch helped a little, too.

Kota's outfit… I won't voice my opinion on it. I leave it to you to decide what I thought. A ink and black skull belly-shirt, leather short-shorts, and knee-high black boots.

_Yeah._

After lunch, we were all basically done with our shopping, and we had only about ten pounds each, so we decided to combine our money to buy a portable mirror, a tube of lipstick, eye liner, mascara, and a tube of black nail polish from Claire's. We were set. Or so we thought.

_**Jara's POV: **_

When we got back to the hotel room, we dumped our bags in the bathroom -which we would occupy for the next hour until it was time to go to the concert. We sorted them, all of us grabbing the stuff that was our own, and pulling the tags off so we could iron them. The clothes, not the tags. We weren't going to put them on yet, only do our nails, but we wanted to have our things ready on a second's notice.

"Did you bring any grey eye shadow?" Kota asked me.

"Yeah, of course, and green," I turn to Kayla, "For you."

She rolled her eyes at me, "I don't want to put makeup on! I don't need it, for one. And for two, I don't care how I look. They're _just people._"

I rolled my eyes back at her, putting a hand on my hip, and waving my pink makeup bag in the air. "Whatever. I'm still putting it on you, if I have to hit you upside the head with a pot and put it on you in your unconsciousness."

"Then you'll have to do my hair so that it covers the huge lump, and I'll have to shower again, because I'll be _bleeding_."

"Oh, come on, Kayla!" Kota said, pushing her back onto the closed toilet seat. "Be a girl, for once!"

She clasped her hands in her lap, "Do you think I need it?"

I saw the hurt in her eyes, "No. You don't. But it will look _better."_

She shook her head, but said, "Fine, go ahead."

I bent over her, my compact in hand, and worked my magic. Soon, she had soft pink cheeks, light red lips, dark eyes, and a total 'girl-factor'. When we finally let her get up and look in the mirror, I thought her jaw would have to get glued back on. Her hand flew to her face, and I slapped it. "No, don't touch. Just look." She shook her head, a smile playing at her mouth. "It's you I promise."

She nodded now, and turned to me, "Go ahead and do Kota."

Kota laughed, "N-no! I'm not… hehe, gay!"

Jara and I slapped her in unison, though we were laughing, too. We needed a cleaner friend…

"I meant, do her _makeup!"_ Kayla, pushed Kota's shoulder, and left the room, en route to the bedroom. "Crazy chicks."

"Hey, don't be hatin'!" Kota said, directing her words in her direction. "You're one too!"

Kayla laughed, and I fixed Kota's makeup to her will.

Standing in front of the mirror in our hotel bathroom in between my two best friends, looking like a modern goddess, I couldn't help but smile. We were an extreme representation of ourselves; the geek, the good girl, and the punk. But we looked good. Even Kayla, who was uncomfortable in the skirt that was slightly shorter than what she usually wore, looked like she was as excited as Kota and I. I was nearly dying in anticipation of meeting 1D, especially Harry… and Kota… oh, let's just say, Zayn jokes got old after two straight hours of them. But Kayla liked the band as a whole, none of the boys in particular. What was her problem?

Miranda walked into the room behind Paul and they both stopped in their tracks when they saw us all done up, doing our nails. She laughed, "You girls look great!"

"Thanks!" we all said with different levels of enthusiasm.

Paul nodded, and he spoke for the first time since I met him, "I agree, you girls look dashing. The lads will be pleased you got all spiffy-up for them!"

Kayla - who didn't want her nails done- sat up straight, "Does it look like I'm trying too hard?"

"No," Paul looked shocked. "You look beautiful. You all do."

She sighed, lowering back into the seat.

"Ready to go?" Miranda asked, and Kota and I held up our hands, indicating our wet nails. "Oh, they will dry in the car. Even better if you stick your hands out the windows."

We laughed, and grabbed our purses.

_**Kayla's POV:**_

I was thankful Kota and Jara let me leave the room with my hair only pulled back in a navy hair band, while they were all curls and ponytails and all sorts of jacked-up hairstyles, that -I admit- looked good on them, but not me. But, I thought they were going to kill me when I pulled my white leggings out of my purse on the elevator, and slid them on under my skirt. "What? We're in England, I'm not going out without any source of warmth!"

Jara scowled at my legs, "If you have to…"

Kota just shrugged and sighed, "Not bad. Looks okay, and you managed to put them on _over _your converse, without flashing us. Props."

I nodded, as we stepped off into the lobby, grateful we were staying on one of the top floors, so we had a longer elevator ride.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: The Concert**

_**Jara's POV:**_

I think I literally peed myself when we pulled into the parking lot of the arena the concert was being hosted at, not far from the boys' apartment building. I think Kota was, too. Kayla was still not being a good fangirl with us.

Miranda turned around in her seat to face us, "We'll pay your way in, but here are your backstage passes!" She handed each of us a card on a string that said "Official One Direction Concert, London, Backstage pass."

I squealed and jumped up and down, Kota giggled, and Kayla laughed at us both.

Miranda smiled at us, getting out of the car. The rest of us soon followed. "Paul has to get to the boys and make sure the security do their job of keeping the lads from getting mobbed on their way to their dressing rooms. And I have to talk to the ticket booth guy. So you girls will be on your own until after the concert. Meet us backstage at seven with the boys, alright?"

We all nodded, and they took off. I turned to my companions, shaking with excitement and anticipation. "Can we get some nachos or something?"

Kota laughs, "Do you want chili on your breath when you meet your idols?"

I frown, "I guess not…"

Seeing my obvious hunger, Kayla pulled a stick of Root Beer gum out of her bag and handed it to me. I shoved it in my mouth, nodding a thank you. Her phone rang and she answered it, "Miranda, it's been thirty seconds, what's up?" She paused, listening to her cousin on the other line, shaking her head. She suddenly smiled. "Okay, thanks… Uh huh, we will. See you." She hung up and squealed.

"What?" Kota and I asked her at the same time.

She grabbed both our wrists and pulled us across the parking lot, "Miranda said we can have the front row seats! But only if we hurry." At that, we all break into a jog, heading toward the entrance. After Kayla stated her name to the ticket guy, she lets us in, and we slow down enough to that we don't trip. And stop dead in our tracks.

The place is so big, I could combine all the synonyms of that word, and it still would be an understatement. At the far end of the stadium, the stage is decorated all One Direction-y. But in between us and the stage, is at least a couple thousand chairs and benches. We all let out a laugh, as we go down the stairs to the main floor, where we take three of the first row seats. Kayla finally pulls out her camera to vlog.

_**Kayla's POV:**_

I hadn't vlogged the whole trip, so feeling my camera's familiar weight in my left hand as I hit record, gives me comfort. "Hey guys, what's up? It's Kayla, from KDLaughs' channel on YouTube, and I am here with…" I turn the camera to either side of me, showing the camera my friends. "Kota and Jara! Say hi!" They did. "You might be wondering where I am… well, here's a hint," I do a slow pan of the room and stop on the stage directly in front of us. "We are in London, England. What for? We are here for the _One Direction Concert!_" The three of us cheer and laugh.

"So, yeah! We're here, and we have backstage passes, with front row seats!" Jara and Kota both giggle. A few crew members get on stage, and I sign off, telling my non-existent audience that I will film more of the concert.

_**Jara's POV:**_

About half an hour later, we all three have to go to the bathroom. When we return, I see the sight I've been waiting to see. Harry Edward Styles. He stands on stage, messing with a microphone, chatting with the other band members. I try to act indifferent, but we end up shooing ourselves back outside in order for them to practice in peace.

We hear them, in their angelic voices, do warm ups, and practice solos. Every time I hear his voice, I melt.

Eventually, we hear them leave, and we run back to our seats.

_**Kota's POV:**_

Holy Concert.

Laughs blare all around us, and what seems like a billion screaming fans surround us, all waiting with us for the concert to start. Most of the fans are girls, but I see the very few males in the room. I bet Kayla twenty buck they were all either gay, dads, or with their girlfriends. She just rolled her eyes, and went back to tweeting.

Out of nowhere, the room goes dark, and everyone goes silent. Then we heard the famous first words that we all knew. "You're insecure. Don't know what for. You're turning heads when you walk through the do-o-or." The crowd screams, and the music starts. We all start jumping up and down, and screaming the lyrics at the tops of our lungs. Kayla pulls out her camera at one point during the first song, and gives it to me. Zayn looked over, and when it came to his part of the song, he knelt on the stage in front of me, and took my hand. Singing the words directly at me. When he pulled away, I screamed, and gave Kayla back her camera. Only to find out later that she got my entire fangirl meltdown on video. Great.

_**Jara's POV: **_

I was disappointed when Zayn touched Kota. Even though he was my least favorite member, I would've died to have let that be me. Then I remember the backstage pass in my pocket, and smile, anticipating my hug.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Hey guys! Chapter Four is here! I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I hope to post 2 Chapters a day, now. A few notes: The three main characters are based on me (Kayla) and my two BFFs. I undrstand that Kota's outfit is NOT LIKE HER, but that is for a reason! I promise, I'm not friends with a HOE! And, she is a bit of a rebel in this chapter, but THAT IS NOT HER. I did that to proove a point later on, as well. I also have no idea if she wears thongs!Also, the 1D boys are all single in this FF. The reason this is rated T-Teen, is because of SOME inappropriare language, and other stuffs. I do not own the Band One Direction! And Paul REALLY IS their manager, but Miranda is just based off another one of my friends! DON'T HATE ON ME OR ANYONE ELSE, AND HERE IS THE STORY!**_

_**Chapter Four: Truth or Dare**_

**_Kayla's POV:_**

Even though I would have like to have been reading in the hotel, I found myself getting nervous when the concert ended, and it was time for us to go backstage. Kota and Jara were turning purple waiting for us to get the okay from the security guard to go backstage. We were the only people with passes… thank the Lord! Some of those fans were creepy to say the least.

Miranda poked her head around the corner and yelled at the guard, "Robert! Let the girls in!"

Robert stepped aside, returning my polite smile. I took the lead behind Miranda, because the other two found it necessary to fix each other's makeup on the short walk down the hall to the dressing room. Miranda knocked on the door, "Boys, the girls are here."

I glanced at my friends out of the corner of my eye. Jara was scratching the gum out of her teeth, and Kota was adjusting her bra strap. Classy friends are hard to find these days.

A male voice replied from behind the door, "Just a moment!"

**_Niall's POV:_**

"Just a moment!" I reply to Paul's wife through the door, then turn to Harry who lounges on the couch with a bottle of water. "Hazza, put a shirt on, we have company."

"What? The girls love my abs," he said, jokingly rubbing a hand down this chest. I roll my eyes as Liam, Louis, and Zayn walk in, all rubbing sweat off their faces, and sporting no shirts. Harry laughs at them. "See Nialler? I'm not the only one that thinks that!"

"Am I the only one here who cares about propriety?" I ask them sarcastically.

"Yeah, I hear the Irish take that stuff seriously," Zayn said.

I put my hand on my hip, mimicking Paul's wife when she snaps at us. "All of you, go put a shirt on, I'll be a gentleman and let the ladies in."

The others leave, and I open the door to see Paul's wife standing with three other girls, no younger than Haz.

"Hello," I greet them, smiling at a particularly pretty one in the front wearing a simple outfit. She blushes -so adorable- and I usher them all inside.

The second girl is definitely a Zayn type; blonde and purple hair, very short leather shorts, and a shirt that looks about the perfect size for a toddler. The third girl is definitely as beautiful as the other two, but not my type either. The first girl is automatically my favorite.

"Hello," the first girl says, and Miranda shuts the door behind them, leaving us all alone.

"Where are the others?" The Zayn-type asks.

"Getting dressed," I explain, and get surprised when I extend my hand for the third girl to shake, and she gives me a hug. I blush, and hug her back. No one ever gives me the first hug. "I'm Niall."

She pulls back, beet red. The blush isn't as cute on her. "We know who you are. I'm Jara."

"I'm Kota," The Zayn-type says, hugging me as well.

"Nice to meet you," Kota pulls back, and I look at the first girl expectantly. "And you are?"

"I'm Kayla," She says quietly, and I pull her into a hug. She smells nice. Like sugar cookies. Due to that, I hug her for a bit too long, and the others walk in.

They laugh, and I pull away. "I see what you did there. You didn't really care if we were shirtless, you just wanted to be the first to flirt." Liam says accusingly.

"I did not," I say. "I just figured the girls would be more comfortable if the lot of you were wearing clothes."

Kayla nods, but the other two giggle.

Zayn is staring, pondering something, "Do I know you?" He asks Kota.

She shook her head, smiling at him. "Nope, I'm Kota. You held my hand in 'What Makes You Beautiful'."

"Oh, you're the girls from the front row?" He asks, and they all three nod. "Cool."

Jara kept staring at Haz, and he definitely noticed. He smiled, and walked over to her. "Hi, I'm Harry."

"Jara," they shook hands, but I saw the need for more in both their eyes. "This is Kayla, by the way. She's the shy one."

"I am not," she protested quietly. When the lads and I looked at her, she averted her eyes to the floor.

"Would you like something to drink?" Louis asks, heading for the mini-fridge in the corner.

"What do you have?" Jara asked, comfortably sinking into the couch where Harry was previously laying half naked. She would die if she knew that, so I just grinned.

"Uh," Lou searched the shelves for anything. "Cola, Diet, Orange, beer-"

"I'll take a beer!" Kota said racing over to the fridge, only to be stopped by Kayla catching her arm.

"No you won't," She turned to us, and Kota scowled, which Zayn found attractive, according to his smirk. "We're only 19." I guess someone had to be the responsible one in the group, and it was her. Like with the lads and I, it was definitely me.

"Oh," Lou sighed, and grabbed three bottles of water instead.

We all watched different girls as they gathered on the couch with their waters, and Jara and Kota chugged theirs. Kayla only took a few small sips. She eyes her friends with slight disgust. _How could she make that face and still be so cute?_ I laughed, and she looked up at me, before taking another sip.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Jara asked us.

A few of us shrugged, but I kept watching Kayla in amusement.

"We could order a pizza?" Kayla suggested, setting her water down on the table.

I nearly jumped up and ran to the phone, "Yes!" I dialed the pizza place number -I had it memorized, and the cashier and I were on a first name basis- and put in my order.

_**Kayla's POV:**_

I smiled after Niall, watching him excitedly order a few pizzas. Good thing, I was famished.

"Can we play a _game_?" Liam asked.

I nodded, and Kota asked, "How about Truth or Dare?"

"Or Would You Rather?" Jara suggested.

"I'm up for a game of Truth or Dare," Zayn said, eyeing Kota with a look I didn't like. I wasn't supposed to take her home pregnant or drunk. With that look, it was like he could somehow do both to her, without touching her.

"Then Truth or Dare it is," Harry sank down into the floor in front of Jara. Zayn did the same to Kota, and I sat beside her, watching them. Niall came back then and asked what we were doing.

"Truth or Dare," I reply, and he smiles, making my palms sweat. He sits across from me, and Louis and Liam sit on either side of him.

"I'll go first," Zayn said, and fixed his stare on Kota again. "Kota, truth or dare?"

She thought for about half a second before saying, "Dare."

He smiled back at her, "I dare you to kiss the person to your left."

She stared at him before turning to the person on her left. None other than… Me. She swore, and I looked away, face going a bright shade of pink. She leaned over, and pressed her lips to my cheek and I sighed.

Zayn rolled his eyes, "Not what I meant."

Kota shrugged, "You didn't specify."

Liam laughed, "He's Zayn. He doesn't want to see a girl just kiss another girl on the cheek."

"She's right, he didn't say it had to be on the lips," Niall said, and when I looked at him, he was smiling back at me.

"Whatever," Kota said with a wave of her hand. "Um… How about… Liam! Truth or dare?"

"Dare," He said with confidence.

"I dare you to… lick Harry's foot."

He wrinkled his nose, but leaned over to Harry and pulled his shoe off. He then licked his foot, and I gagged. Loudly. When he was done, he sat up with a disgusted look on his face that made us all laugh, and he wiped his tongue off with his sleeve. "Kayla. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," I say.

"Wimp!" Kota says. I roll my eyes.

"Okay… Do you know what color underwear any of us are wearing? And if so, who and what color?"

I look around the circle before sighing, "Jara's is pink. Kota's is a thong, so I have no idea what color it is." My friends' faces turn red, and the guys all laugh. "Niall." He looks up. "Truth or dare?"

He smiled, "Truth. Definitely truth."

"Is it true that you'd rather eat pizza than kiss a girl?"

He looked down at his hands, and mumbled, "Sometimes." The other boys just laughed, as if this was some sort of inside joke that we didn't get. "Hazza-"

"DARE!" Harry shouted before Niall could even finish.

"I dare you to…" There was a knock at the door. "Purple nipple whoever is standing outside that door."

We all laughed, and Harry got up to answer the door. He went pale when he saw that the pizza delivery person was -in fact- a girl. "That will be thirty pounds."

He handed her the money, then wimped out, taking the pizza from her, and slamming the door shut.

"Hey!" Niall shouted.

"I'm not squeezing the delivery girl's nipple!" He said, dropping the pizza on Niall's lap. I reached for a peice of pizza at the same time he did, and pulled away.

"You didn't do the dare!" Zayn said. "You know what that means!"

Harry sighed, before pulling off his shirt. Kota, Jara, and I stared at him in shock -although Jara looked slightly pleased at it. He laughed. "If you refuse to do the dare or tell the truth, you have to remove an article of clothing." He sank back into his seat. "Zayn. I dare you t-"

"Hey, maybe I want truth!"

"No you don't."

"Yeah, you're right. Continue."

"I dare you to play seven minutes with your girl of choice," He said, flicking his gaze to Kota.

Zayn got up, and grabbed a beaming Kota off the couch, and pulled her into the side bedroom. Harry sat a timer on his phone, and when he yelled "Time's up!" they both came back out, with messy hair and red lips. We all laughed as Zayn grabbed her again, and pulled her into another kiss. Jara and I gagged.

"Ew! Ew!" Jara screeched, entertaining us all a little more. "I see tongue! I should not see tongue!"

They pulled apart, and sat back down. "Louis."

"Dare."

"I dare you to sit on a slice of Niall's pizza!"

Niall paused, a piece of pizza half way in his mouth. "No!"

"Come on. Just one!"

Niall sighed, and pulled a slice out of one of the boxes, and Louis gladly sat on it. "Jara?"

**_Jara's POV:_**

I pause, thinking."Dare?"

"Okay… I dare you to kiss Haz."

I raised my eyebrows, my face going into shock. Every part of me was screaming "Yes! Yes!", but my mouth said "NO!"

"Then take off your shirt." Lou smirked at me. I was ready to slap it off him.

"Or pants, if you prefer," Zayn said, and Kota turned red.

I sigh, and get on the floor in front of Harry. He closed his eyes, and I leaned in, shaking all over. Then I kissed him. I kissed Harry Styles. And after a short moment that felt like forever, he kissed back. When we pulled apart, we were both smiling, and our audience applauded.

Retaking my seat, I say, "Kayla, I dare you to be fed a piece of pizza by Niall."

"What if I want truth?" she asked, doing an exact impression of Zayn a few minutes ago.

"You do the dare." I said, and she nodded.

She got in the floor with Niall, who pulled yet another piece of pizza out of the box, and held it out to her. She took a bite, and when they locked eyes, they both smiled and blushed. When he had fed her most of it, she leaned back and told him he could eat the rest, which he did. "Um… Liam?"

"I think I'll go with truth."

"Okay… How old were you when you had your first kiss?"

He looked embarrassed, and mumbled, "Seventeen."

We all laughed at him. "How old were _you_, Kayla?"

Now it was her turn to be embarrassed, and I knew why. She murmured her answer.

"What was that?" Liam asked, leaning forward.

She sighed, closing her eyes, "I've never kissed anybody before. Unless you count my family… and my cat, but…"

We were all silent, and she didn't open her eyes again, too embarrassed to even try.

Liam sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Hey, Nialler, I dare you to be her first kiss."

At that, she opened her eyes. They were the size of golf balls. "No, I'm okay. My lips enjoy their virginity."

The rest of us chuckled, except for Niall, who was watching her carefully. "I wouldn't mind. I can't do the dare if you don't agree. Then I would have to take my shirt off, and that would only defeat the purpose."

She narrowed her eyes at him, a sign I'd come to know as her "You're ticking me off," face. "You know, I don't think I like you anymore."

"Ouch," Zayn mumbled.

"Fine, whatever," Niall said sarcastically, and grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"No! Wait!" Kayla called, and he stopped. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Do the dare, just… don't…" she sighed, and he stood up, suppressing a smile as he took her hand, forcing her to her feet.


	5. Chapter 5

**_I actually felt awkward (REALLY SUPER AWKWARD) writing this chapter. If you know me, you'd know why. But otherwise, I think you can guess... ENJOYY! _**

**_Chapter Five: First Kiss_**

**_Kayla's POV:_**

Niall pulled me closer to him, and I tensed. In the hour that I'd known him, I'd come to like him. And I didn't like that. Not that I would mind if he was my first kiss, I just knew that if things worked out, we couldn't be together. That's why I was hesitant, I wasn't the least bit worried about how the kiss would go. I'd been waiting for this moment my entire life; I'd just never thought it would be with Niall Horan from One Direction.

Gripping my elbows, he pulled me closer to him still. I could feel the eyes of the others on my back, but he didn't even seem to remember they were there. We were close enough now that his breath warmed my cheeks, and I could smell the hint of pizza on it.

He leaned down to me slowly, whilst sliding one hand behind my neck, the other pulling my own up around his neck. Then he rested his other hand on my shoulder… and he kissed me.

I'd read about kisses in plenty of books from my teenage years, but I'd never imagined it would feel like this. To perfect, so right. If only for a moment, I forgot where I was, and who was staring holes into the back of my head; all that was existing was Niall, and his lips on mine.

It started soft, just a simple peck on the lips, then when he was sure I wouldn't freak out or pull away -never in a millennia would I do that- he deepened it. Our lips moved together, and he somehow managed to make mine part so he could slip his tongue in. That made me jump, and I nearly bit him. Then I got used to the feeling, and let him continue. My fingers, still around his neck, drew tiny, invisible circles at the base of his neck, making him shiver.

I then discovered something that made me giggle into his mouth. He even tasted like pizza. He smiled against my lips, and his hands slid down to my waist, where he pulled me closer. I heard giggling from a distance, but I didn't care. He pulled away, and I'm disappointed until I realize that I needed to breathe as well. We stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, and staring at each other.

"Wow," Zayn said, and I looked over at him. They were all shocked and amused all at once. "I think that beat mine and Kota's."

She looked down at him, but he winked, reassuring her.

"How long was it?" Jara asked Harry. Apparently, he had timed us.

"Three minutes," Harry said, looking up from his phone. "Impressive."

"Yeah," I breathed, turning back to Niall, who gave me another peck on the lips.

"Kayla, I dare you to sit on my lap for the rest of the game." he says, and I smile. He sits back down, pulling me with him, so I sit on his knee. It's not that comfortable, but I'd rather not go shirtless.

"Kota, I dare you to say the words 'in bed' after every sentence you say, for the rest of the game," I say.

"Okay, I'm good with that, in bed."

We all laugh.

"Okay, Zayn, in bed," she said. He laughed. "I dare you to… do the 'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy' dance, in your underwear, in bed."

"Okay," he got up, and pulled his shirt over his head. At this, Kota smiled. Then, he was standing in the middle of the room in his boxers. Jara and I blush, as everyone else laughed. "Do I have to do it in bed? 'Cuz that wouldn't be any fun!"

"Just do it, in bed?" Kota said. "But not in bed, in bed… Dang it, this is hard, in bed." At that all of us died of laughter.

He then walked into the center of the room, and did the dance. I snuck my camera out of my pocket, and filmed the whole thing. Although you could barely hear anything, due to the constant giggles in the background. When he finished, I turned the camera towards myself, laughing still. "Yes, that was, none other than, Zayn Malik of One Direction, doing the 'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy' dance in his boxers." I felt Niall laugh underneath me. "So, we're backstage, and I'm having a lot of fun! We all are in fact!"

"I'm just happy because I got my pizza, and a kiss from a very pretty girl!" Niall said, pulling me back against him so my head rests on his shoulder. I blush.

"So did I!" Zayn said, poking Kota's knee.

"Aw, in bed!" she said.

I laugh, "Let's continue the game, and I'll talk to you later!" I turn the camera off. Niall brushed my hair out of the way, and breathes into my ear. "I'm a vlogger, so…"

"That's cool," He said, planting a light kiss behind my ear.

Zayn sits back down, too lazy to put his clothes back on. "Alright, Lou?"

"Truth," he said.

"The fact that I'm mostly naked is not weirding you out, at all?"

"Nope," Lou said, and continued. "Harry."

"I'll take Truth, for $100, please Alex?"

"You really enjoyed that kiss with Jara, did you not?"

"Of course I did," Harry rolled his eyes.

Jara gasped, "You did?"

"Yeah, I did."

She smiled, and blushed.

**_Jara's POV:_**

By the end of the game, most of us were still fully-clothed -with the exception of Harry, Zayn, of course, and Liam. We had fun, but it was time for dinner. By the time Miranda and Paul arrived, we had clothes on. Kota and Zayn were in the corner, trying to eat each other's faces off, Kayla and Niall were on the couch, her head in his lap, talking about everything from Pokémon to chocolate cake. That left Liam, Louis, Harry and I in the kitchen, finishing off the leftover pizza. Harry stood beside me, and when he'd finished eating, he slug an arm around my shoulder, but acted like he hadn't, like it was an impulse.

"So, you lot are obviously from America, what brings you here?" He asked me, but the others were interested as well.

"Well, you guys, for starters," I said, slightly leaning into him. It was getting late, and I was still jet-lagged. "And Kayla would have murdered if she didn't get to come to London before college next year. Plus… it… I, uh- Kayla arranged this trip for my uh… birthday?"

They laughed, thankfully not making a big deal out of my birthday. "Well, I for one, am happy you came!" Harry smiled down at me, and my body chose that exact moment to yawn in his face. "Don't worry. Paul and Miranda will be here soon to take you back to your hotel." I nodded. "How long are you staying in London?"

"For the rest of the week, at least," I say, leaning my head against his shoulder. "We have tickets back home on Saturday."

"Are you sure you can't stay any longer?" Harry whined in my ear.

I chuckled, "I wish."

"Well, I guess we'll all have to enjoy our time together, won't we?" Lou asked, leaning over the counter. "You know, Liam and I haven't gotten kissed yet today."

I leaned toward him, and kissed them both on the cheek. "There, happy?"

He laughed.

"By the way, when _is_ your birthday?" Harry asked. I swore mentally. Maybe he did hear me say it…

"Friday, the first…" I said, ducking my head.

"Well, looks like a family dinner on that day, then!" Harry squeezed my shoulder.

"Please don't do anything too big!" I moaned, burying my face in his neck.

"No promises," I heard the smile in his voice.

**_A/N: Thanks to Kota for the "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" Suggestion! I died of laughter whilst writing it, and I hope it gave you a good laugh too!_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: LOOOONG Chapter is Looooong! This is a longer chapter, over 3k words! Sorry it took a few days, I had A LOT to edit, and school is.. meh. Aaaaaand! For Kota: POV stands for Point of View! Just saying! Kota's attitude and apparel explained in this chapter! Chapter seven later this week! Alright, enough blah, blah, here is Chapter Six!**_

Chapter Six: Meals and Deals

**_Jara's POV:_**

I woke in the morning, to the distinct sound of my text message alert tone. _Why didn't I put it on vibrate?_ I asked myself, moaning and pulling myself out of bed, as my phone continued to alert me of multiple new messages. By that time, Kota had woken up, and was scowling at me from across the room as I checked my phone.

Since I spent most of my time at her apartment, Kayla knew what the commotion was, and opened the bedroom door by throwing a pillow at it. "Who is it?" Her voice was groggy from sleep.

I smiled at my phone screen, "It's Harry."

"How did he get your number?" Kota asked. She got up and grabbed her own phone. She frowned, seeing that she didn't have any messages from Zayn. Funny, considering they were the only two that officially switched numbers.

I shrugged, "I don't know, Miranda maybe, or Paul?"

Kota sighed, and I heard the couch squeak as Kayla got up. She walked into the room, shoving her still-crooked glasses on. "What did he say?"

I laugh, confused, and read the messages from this morning, "'Good morning, Jara-Bear!', 'Are you lot awake yet?', "You there, love?', and the most recent, sent a few seconds ago… 'Look out the balcony!'." My friends and I exchanged a glance, then ran into the living room. I pulled the sliding glass door open, and we all stepped outside. Leaning over the railing, we saw five little figures far down below. My phone dinged again, "Is that you, way up there?"

I laugh, probably loud enough for him to hear, "Yes."

We waited a few moments, and I saw Harry pull his phone out of his pocket, then hold it out from his body. My phone rang and I answered, "Hello?"

"Good morning!" They all said, and I put it on speaker phone as well.

We laughed, "Good morning!"

"Are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" I ask, a smile threatening to make an appearance.

"To breakfast, where else?" Harry laughed, and I looked at my companions.

"Well, we'll have to shower… so…" I say, aware of the chilly air hitting my bare legs. "Why don't you come on up? Wait in the living room for us?"

"Okay," Harry said.

Kayla hit my shoulder and whispered, "I don't want them to see me in my pajamas!"

I smiled, "You can go first."

"What was that?" Harry asked, and I took the phone off speaker, and turned back inside.

"Nothing, just Kayla being self-conscious." That earned me a scowl and a few laughs.

"Be up in a minute!" Harry exclaimed, just before hanging up.

Kayla sprinted to the bathroom, and locked the door, while I throw on a robe over my sweatpants and t-shirt. "How do they know what room we're in?"

I shrugged, pulling the strings on my robe tighter, "The same way they got my number."

Kota scoffed, "Kayla has some interesting cousins."

I nodded, and heard the elevator down the hall ding, just as the water in the shower starts. Someone -I wondered who- knocked at our door. "Who's there?"

A male voice -obviously Harry's- replied, in a high voice, mimicking a woman's, "Room service!"

I lean against the door, and peek through the peep hole, as Kota comes up behind me. Harry stands in front of the others, smiling into the peep hole, like he knew I was there. I smiled back, "Sorry, we didn't order anything!"

"Jara, it's me, Harry," He said, and the others laughed.

"I know who it is," I said sarcastically, opening the door. He smiled down at me, and my heart rate picked up.

"You look beautiful," Zayn said to the pajama-sporting Kota. He took her around the shoulders, and led her in the main room in front of the rest of us

She let out a short laugh, patting her ruffled hair, "Whatever."

"No, I mean it," He said, smiling.

Harry just brushed past me; Liam and Louis both took seats at the bar at the counter. Niall stood by the hallway, looking around, casually casting a glance into the bedroom where mine and Kota's beds were still unmade. "Where's Kayla?" he asked, failing at being nonchalant.

"Shower," Kota said, breaking her eye sex on the couch with Zayn for half a second. "And so help me, if you try sneaking a glance at her…"

She didn't have to finish. He had already turned red and averted his eyes, sitting on the arm of the couch, while the rest of us laughed.

"She's kidding, we know you wouldn't," I tell him, and he nods at me.

I don't know what it was with those two. It seemed like, every time one or the other was brought up in conversation, the other blushed, as if they were caught red-handed. Last night, both of them were embarrassed after the kiss, but felt comfortable around each other. As opposed to Zayn and Kota, who acted like they wanted nothing more than to get a room, or myself and Harry… who, I'm not even sure _actually_ liked me. Never mind that. That was nothing.

**_Kayla's POV:_**

I showered, dressed, and did my hair as fast as I could. In the process, I tripped at _least_ 13 times. I stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes, debating whether or not to change again -I'd done so three times- when Jara knocked. "Huh?"

"Kayla? Did you drown?" She asked.

"No, just give me a second," I said, deciding to put on a grey beanie. I grabbed my dirty clothes, and chucked them into the bedroom on my way out. Everyone else was sitting around, doing basically nothing. "Sorry it took so long, I had some issues with my hair."

My eyes fell on Niall, who was perched on the arm of the couch. He looked up when I spoke, and his eyes swept over me quickly, and rested on my face. We both smiled at once. "Hi," I said, still grinning.

"Hi," he replied.

"Hello?" Liam said, pulling my eyes away from the blond Irish angel in the room. "We're here too!"

I laughed, "Oh, hello to you too, guys." I turned to Jara. "You want to shower?"

Kota stood up, "No, I will." She disappeared into the bedroom for her clothes, being followed by the eyes of a certain Malik boy, whom I still didn't trust.

Niall stood, and walked over to me. "You look good."

"So do you," I tell him, poking his polo.

"See Zayn, they know how to use that compliment correctly," Louis joked. They all laughed.

Not five minutes later, Kota came out of the bathroom, in an outfit that wasn't suitable for London's chilly weather, but Zayn found appropriate. I rolled my eyes, and followed her into the bedroom. "Kota, can I talk to you?" I asked quietly, shutting the door behind myself.

"Sure," she said, tossing her clothes on the bed, and leaning on the dresser.

"I'm not sure your… er, _attire_, is appropriate for the occasion."

She looked down at herself -at the mini skirt and low rise shirt. "What do you mean? I think this looks good."

"Yeah, on hookers," I mumble, and she scowls at me. "Which you're not. You don't dress like this at home, and it's twice as cold here. Where did you get that anyway?" I point to her skirt.

She shrugged, "Hot Topic."

Of course, the store I never even looked in to, afraid of what I'd see. "Can you change, for decency's sake?"

"What should I wear?"

"I'd be fine with skinny jeans and a sweater." Exactly what I'm wearing.

"Can it be skin-tight?" she asked, and I nodded.

"As long as you're showing less skin than that." I watched as she turned to her bag. "What is this 'showing skin' thing about, anyway? You never wear anything like this at home."

"Just..." she sighed, and pulled a pair of light-wash skinny jeans, and a dark sweater -still with a 'V' neck, but not as low- out of her bag. "Better?"

"Better." I said.

"I want Zayn to like me for who I am."

"Who you are, not your butt," I point out, and brush her hair over her shoulder. "You're beautiful covered up, too."

She smiled at me, and gave me a one-armed hug, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I smile back, and leave her alone to change.

No one questioned what we talked about, and respected our privacy. Zayn's eyes shone with disappointment when he saw that she had changed, but didn't whine because she still looked like the beautiful, funky girl he'd met the day before.

**_Niall's POV:_**

When I saw Kayla that morning, with her hair in curls, under a hat that matched both her jumper and her boots, my heart grew so big that I was positive I was the new form of The Grinch. I couldn't hold back the smile, especially when she grinned, directly at me.

Something about her, whether it was her smile, her heart, her brain, or any other part of her, whatever it was, made me… nervous, to say it simply. Even though it hadn't even been an entire day since I'd known her, my heart rate picked up and I got all sweaty when I saw her.

I didn't have experience with it, but that spark when we kissed, the way it felt like I was walking on air, it was only obvious… This was love at first sight.

**_Jara's POV:_**

After I was showered, everyone jumped up, and the boys pushed us towards the door.

"Wait!" Kayla exclaimed, turning around suddenly. This made her trip, and be caught by Niall. They both blushed, and she pushed past him. "I forgot my purse."

"You won't need it," Niall said, looking after her as she went to retrieve it from her bag. "You won't be paying for anything."

"Neither are you guys," Kayla said, returning to us in the hallway, locking the door behind her.

I could almost hear the guys rolling their eyes as we made our way to the elevator.

We got out of Harry's car and arrived at a really nice apartment complex, almost as nice as our hotel. I had sat in the front seat, beside Harry, who was driving. Kayla sat in the middle, an arm's length away from Niall, who kept sneaking glances at her when she wasn't looking. Kota sat in the very back, crammed together with Liam, Louis, and _Zayn_, of course.

The complex was made of old red bricks, and had some shrubbery in the front, that had vines winding up the sides. It would've looked ancient, anywhere but London. Here, it was beautiful.

"What are we doing _here_?" Kayla asked, making the only sound since the boys had stopped singing along to themselves on the radio.

Harry parked the car in a small lot beside the building, and jumped out at the same time as Niall, who came around the car, and opened Kayla's door for her. "We're eating here."

"This is a restaurant?" Kayla asked, incredulous.

The boys laughed, and I joined in, nervously. Harry didn't open my door for me…

"No!" Liam was barely able to speak, he was laughing too hard. "We live here!"

"Oh…" The three of us sighed, and the rest of us piled out of the car.

"Then why are we eating here?" Kayla asked. Niall caught the disappointment in her voice, and smiled.

"We can't take you lot _out_ to eat, so we decided that taking you _in_ is next best." he slung an arm around her shoulder, and we all walked into the lobby of the building.

A bellman sat behind the front desk that was made of dark oak wood, on the computer. The floors were black and white tile, but everything else was pretty basic; moderate furniture, wooden steps, an area rug, and some paintings and plants. "Ah, boys!" The clerk greeted them, looking up from his computer screen. "I see you've brought some friends!"

"Yes, these are our…" Harry looked at me, then back at Kayla and Niall, and Kota and Zayn. "Friends."

The bellman nodded towards the stairs, "Very well."

Harry led us up the staircase to the second floor, where he used a key to open a door. "This is mine and Lou's place. The others live up stairs."

I fell in behind Kota and Zayn, and we walked into the main room, that consisted of a living room, dining room, and kitchen. On the table in the dining room, were six bags from McDonald's, filled with biscuits.

Kayla laughed, and dug into a bag, pulling out two plain biscuits, and slapped some butter and jam on them. Niall watched her with a smile on his face. His expression said his thoughts, _"Finally, a girl who likes food." _I looked over at Zayn, who had his arm around Kota's waist, leaning around her to get himself a biscuit. He looked happy, too. I looked around. _Everyone_ was happy. _Everyone_ else's dreams were coming true. But my dream… was ignoring me.

**_Harry's POV:_**

Smiling at Niall, who was having a debate with Kayla whether pizza or tacos were the best, I felt myself relaxing. _I'm finally home._ Zayn and Kota seemed to be getting along well, too. But Jara…

I looked over at her. She was sitting on the couch, alone, scowling into her bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. I interrupted Louis mid-sentence, "Hey, Lou, can you give me a moment?"

He nodded, and I picked up by food, and migrated to the couch, where I sat down beside Jara. "Hey."

She cast a glance over at me, and continued eating.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head, "Nothing."

"Tell me," I said. "What is wrong?"

She sighed, and finally looked me straight in the eye, "You want to know what's wrong? My best friend got me here, for my birthday, and it just seems like she's enjoying it more than I am," I saw her eyes flick behind me, and knew she was referring to Kayla. "Not that she doesn't deserve it. She does, and I think it's great. But _both_ of my friends are happy, and falling in love while you just sit there and you-" she cut herself off, then stood and ran to the bathroom.

"Jara?" Kayla called after her. I just sat there shocked. _What did any of this have to do with me?_ "Jara, where are you going!"

She jumped up, and walked after her, opening the door and letting herself in.

**_Kayla's POV:_**

I found Jara sitting on the side of the bath tub, wiping tears away hastily. "Go away," She hissed.

"No, not before you tell me what's wrong," I grab some tissue paper, and hand it to her. She blows her nose into it.

"Nothing," she said.

I tilt my head, "You are such a liar. Tell me, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

She knew I was telling the truth, I'd never told anyone her secrets.

"It's Harry," she sighed, and wiped away more tears.

"What about him, wasn't he just talking to you? What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything. Or do anything, which is why I'm so upset."

I raised an eyebrow, "So, you didn't want Harry Styles to talk to you?"

"No, I do!" she protested. "It's that… You and Niall seem to be getting along well, and we both know how Kota and Zayn are. But Harry he-" she paused then looked at me. "You weren't even planning on enjoying meeting them, now you're practically in love with Niall, and Kota got her guy. So why is mine ignoring me?"

"Like you said, I didn't plan on anything," I started. "Maybe he isn't either."

"But I want him to. I want him to at least kiss me again, or tell me that he likes me. I don't care, I just don't want to be the only one that didn't fall in love on my own birthday trip."

I step towards her, and rest my hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Jara…" I brush her hair over her shoulder. "Maybe he isn't planning anything. So maybe you have to change his plans for him."

**_Jara's POV:_**

After I washed the tears off my face, Kayla went to sit back down with Niall, and I rejoined Harry on the couch. "Sorry."

"What was that?" He asked, not unkindly.

"Nothing…" I said, and know he doesn't believe me. "Harry, what are we doing today?"

"We were planning on taking you to the movies, maybe?"

I smile, "Isn't that a little cliché?"

"No, it's not, it's a completely original idea!" He laughed; the air between us seemed to lighten with the sound of it.

"That's good, I'd like to see a movie, or two."

"I don't think there's anything good out right now," Liam said, interrupting our bonding time.

"Yeah there is," Lou said from his position on the counter. "Well, not for us, maybe, but there's like three chick flicks on currently."

Kota nodded sarcastically, "Oh yeah, that sounds like _lots_ of fun."

Kayla looked at me over her shoulder, "Hey, Jara? Remember when you broke up with that Brandon guy, and we went and saw a chick flick?"

I laugh, "Oh yeah! And we just sat there and laughed at the happy people, and made gagging noises when a couple around us kissed."

"That sounds illegal!" Niall said, joking with us.

"But fun!" Zayn added.

"We should do that!" Harry exclaimed, then turned to Kayla and Niall, "Then get some take-out?"

They both smiled, shooting glances at one another, and nodded.

**_Harry's POV:_**

I wasn't sure why I thought seeing a movie would be bad at first, because it went great! We did as we said we were -laugh and joke around through the whole thing- and enjoyed ourselves. By the time the movie had ended, we had all gotten abs from laughing so much, and we all had at least one arm around our shoulders. We stayed in this position -Zayn on one end, then Kota, Kayla, Niall, Jara, me, Lou, and Liam on the other side- our arms slung across and around one another, until we got back to the car, laughing again after nearly running over a million people. In the car, we sat the same way we did on the way to mine and Lou's apartment, and went for Chinese Take-Out. As soon as I pulled up, Niall started barking orders at me. When he had given me his extensive list, I said, "Anyone else have any orders?"

"Oh, and a few orders of cheese wan-tons with," he turned to his new best friend. "Water?" She nodded, and he confirmed to me, "Water."

Everyone helped carry our food in, then we sat down for a family lunch, in the same order as we had in the movie, only in table format. Jara still looked uneasy… but she had grabbed my hand in the theater, hadn't she? We were just watching the movie, and she just laced her fingers through mine, and when I looked at her, she was laughing with the others at something happening on the screen; like she hadn't done it in the first place. Wasn't that what I had done last night when I slung my arm around her shoulder? I meant it as more than a friendly gesture, but… Did she?


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Sorry it took so long! I had a LOT going on (dislocated knee) and didn't have time to finish this chapter! But, here it is! I haven't even started on Chapter Eight yet, so it might be another week! I know, don't kill me! And to you trolls saying that this FanFiction is in 'the wrong category', can you point out where to put it? No? Didn't think so. And, who cares if FF's of REAL PEOPLE aren't allowed! I'm writing this for my best friend, and I'm working my butt off on it, so it shouldn't matter what category it's in. If you have a problem with it, ignore it, and don't read it.**_

_**Now to your story!**_

* * *

_**Chapter Seven: Changing His Plans**_

_**Jara's POV: **_

I held his hand in the movie! Didn't he notice? If he did, couldn't he have squeezed back, or looked at me when I looked at him or something? Having a mental debate about this, I ate in silence, scowling into my chicken and rice.

A familiar hand snapped in front of my face, pulling me out of my reverie and my plate, "Jara? Yoo-hoo! Are you in there?" Kayla called from across the table.

"Yeah, what?" I ask, setting down my fork. I wasn't in the mood for Chinese.

"Fortune cookie, what does it say?" Kota asked, tossing a cookie at me. "We want you to go first!"

I pop the wrapper open, and crack the cookie in half, then shove the first half in my mouth. Tradition. Couldn't help it. "Good news is headed your way." I then eat the last half of the cookie.

"Hum," Kayla said. "Me next!" She grabbed a cookie out if the large pile in the middle of the table. She did the same as I did, then read, "Wisdom is key, knowledge is the difference between life and death." She looked up, eyebrow raised. "Yes, word of wisdom from Kayla: if you don't eat, you will die."

We laughed at her joke, and she handed another cookie to Niall. "Luck has nothing to do with your odds."

Zayn laughed, jumped up, and started singing: "Luck of the Irish! Luck of the Irish! Oh the Luck- Of the Irish!"

Kota laughed so hard, she started to snort. Then, of course, we all laughed at her, and didn't stop until Louis screamed.

"What is it Lou?" Harry asked, going into Larry Styleson mode.

"My fortune says I will have a bad hair day!" he shouted. We died of laughter again…

The End!

Haha, whatever.

**_Kayla's POV:_**

Jara couldn't have been any more obvious flirting with Harry. He couldn't be any more oblivious. After making subtle -and completely obvious- moves all day, she looked exhausted, and came to me in near tears at our hotel room. The boys had just left; they said they would be back later for dinner. (Niall kissed me goodbye! *mini fangirl moment/ love struck!*)

"I can't do this!" she said, throwing her hands in the air, before sinking on the bed, and resting her chin on them. "He doesn't like me. Not the way I want him to, at least."

"Quit being so negative!" I said, poking her shoulder. She scowled up at me.

"I'm not being negative, I'm being truthful."

I sigh, "You know, I don't even know why you're coming to me for advice. Kota's the one with all the charm."

"One, she had charm; sadly, it's not contagious. Second, she can't live without a boy friend."

"And your point is…"

She sighed this time, "She doesn't get what it really means to have no chance with a guy. You do."

I roll my eyes, "Gee, thanks, supportive friend."

"Oh, you know what I mean!" she said, and I sat beside her. "She can get a boyfriend anytime, any day, anyway. I mean, look at her, she's gorgeous!"

"Yes, she is, and you are too," I set a hand on her shoulder. "The thing with Kota is, she's not afraid to just come straight out and ask a guy out. You are. So am I, which is why Niall and I are not dating."

"No, you're not, but you're," she held up her fingers, indicating a small space, "This close to being so. He'd say yes to you, at least."

"So would Harry to you, if you asked!"

She rolled her eyes, "Maybe you're right, I should ask Kota. She won't give such great advice!"

I laughed, "Here, do this. Dress nice tonight, I'll do your hair like mine. Pour on the flirt over dinner. Sit next to him, laugh at everything he says, smile a lot, don't eat like a pig, answer all his questions, and make as mush subtle contact as possible. Give him a little push. Lean across him to get something from the other end of the table. Leave your knee next to his. Brush your fingers across his hands or arms every chance you-"

"How did you get all this advice?" she interrupted me, grinning.

"Kota, when I had that crush on the quarterback guy." I shook my head at the thought.

She laughed, obviously lightened by my hand-me-down advice. "Okay, no offense, but you had no actual chance with that guy!"

I hit her arm playfully, laughing as well. "Oh like you didn't like him too!"

"I didn't!" she raised her hands in mock defense.

"Mmmhmm," I said, pursing my lips. I smiled, "I'll let you go through my bag? See if we can find something pretty… and, uh…" I look around, then whisper in her ear, "Maybe even Kota's bag."

She laughed, just as Kota walked in, on the phone with Zayn, who hadn't even been gone five minutes.

_**Jara's POV:**_

Dinner at six, in two hours. I had to get dressed, think of what to say, call my mom to tell her _everything_ that had happened so far, make a plan of how to touch him as much as possible without being creepy, fix my hair and makeup, and pace around the suite for half an hour in waiting. No, I wasn't stressed at all!

"Jara, calm down," Kota said, she and Kayla had been watching me fix my eyeliner at least six times because I kept messing up. "You're going to have permanent raccoon eyes."

"Oh!" I slammed the liquid liner back on the counter, and threw my hands in the air. "I give up! I'll look like crap tonight, and Harry won't even want to _touch_ me and I-"

Kayla picked up the liner that was beginning to spill, and clamped a hand over my mouth. "Listen to me. Harry likes you, he just doesn't know it yet. Besides, if he did really like you, he wouldn't care what your makeup looked like." She uncovered my mouth and instructed me to close my eyes.

After she -along with Kota- fixed my eyes, I pulled on a pair of Kayla's skinny jeans, and one of Kota's V-neck shirts, with my own camisole. Kayla and Kota wore what they had this morning.

"Will it be weird if I've changed and you two haven't?" I asked as I paced around the living room and kitchen, searching the fridge for nothing in particular.

Kota shook her head, "Nah, they probably won't even notice." Kayla nodded in agreement.

I sighed, and checked the wall clock again.

_**Niall's POV:**_

"Come on!" I jokingly called over my shoulder as I sprinted around the corner of the girls' hotel lobby, heading towards the elevators.

"Wait for us!" Zayn hissed, coming up behind me and planting a hand on my shoulder to keep me from running face-first into the wall.

"I can't!" I exclaimed, bobbing up and down on my heels, waiting for the slowly moving elevator. "Kayla said she made food!"

Liam laughed, "How do we even know it'll be good? She could be terrible at cooking!"

"Someone who loves food can't be a horrible cook."

"Then explain your 'burning water' strategy," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm an exception," I mumbled, and stepped into the elevator.

My friends laughed, following me into the cramped space.

_**Kota's POV:**_

I couldn't stand seeing Jara so down in the dumps. It was contagious for me, other people's moods, and especially with her; when she was in a mood, I was too. I tried not to be, but the telepathy between me, her, and Kayla made that impossible. Jara was so innocent, and seeing her hurt was like seeing a dog after their owner dies… only not near as cute. Not that Kayla wasn't innocent, but Jara had always been the youngest by a few months, and we both seemed to have made it our job to protect her at all costs.

Because of my scary telepathy, I was making sure she would at least get a kiss that night.

How? If you just asked yourself that, you don't know me.

When Kota is serious about something, she doesn't play around.

That's why things were about to get dark.

_**Harry's POV:**_

I wrapped my knuckles on the door three times, and before I could even pull my hand away, Kayla opened the door.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" She asked us, the corner of her mouth twitching with the effort of trying not to smile.

"A very hungry boy," Niall said, and stepped around me, grabbing Kayla around the waist and leading her into the main room. She laughed at him.

"What did you make?" I asked her.

"South-West Chicken Pasta," she said, and at all five of our puzzled looks, added, "Grilled chicken with bow-tie pasta, and pepper sauce."

"Oh," we all sighed.

That's when the scent hit us -peppers, cheese, and chicken. Spice and sweet. Niall ran to the kitchen, tugging Kayla behind him a an arm's length.

I shook my head, and looked around the room as Zayn found Kota with a can of cola for him on the sofa, my eyes scanning for Jara, who I found -with displeasure- was not present.

I suddenly felt like Niall earlier this morning, who looked like an abandoned kitten when Kayla wasn't there. But then she came out of the bathroom, looking like his version of a goddess, I assumed. That's not what happened now. I kept watching the bathroom and bedroom doors, waiting for her to make an appearance, looking like _my own_ goddess. I was sorely disappointed.

Kota looked up from where her and Zayn's fingers were intertwined, to analyze my scowl. She rolled her eyes, "She'll be out in a minute."

_Déjà vu._ I sigh, sinking into the armchair across from Lou who studied my sour mood. "What's up, mate?"

I shrugged, not giving a verbal reply. _I _wasn't even sure what was up.

Lou stood, "Balcony. Now."

I began to protest, but he had already left the room. I sighed and started after him.

_**Kayla's POV:**_

I tried to, but I couldn't hide the blush that crept up my neck when the others left Niall and I in the kitchen, alone. It was the first time we had been, and even though he made me feel comfortable, it was a bit awkward. He watched with amusement as I stirred the bow-tie pasta that was still boiling on the stove. I heard him chuckle.

"What?" I asked, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.

I saw him shake his head, "Nothing. It's just… Did you taste the sauce?"

I slowly nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"You've got… a little-," he reached out and swept his fingers across my cheek. "Of it on your face."

My blush turned deeper. And then -when he pressed his lips to the place his thumb had been- turned almost purple. He smiled against my skin, and took a small step closer to me, so that our bodies pressed together. "You're so cute when you blush."

This time -since I was as red as could be- my breath hitched in my throat.

His hand cupped my cheek, and his other lifted up to brush back my hair, but I kept mine to my sides, not knowing what to do with them. Niall's lips slowly trailed across my cheek, to the corner of my mouth. I dropped the wooden spoon I was holding, and my hands shot up around the back of his neck as I was suddenly taken back to the night before as his lips danced gently across mine.

I responded, shoving my hands into the light curls at the base of his hairline, pulling him closer to me. I didn't think it was possible for my heart to pound any faster, but it did.

His careful hands left my face, and brushed down my arms, to my shoulders, elbows, hands-

Then they were lower, wrapped around my waist pulling me flush against him. I felt every feature of his neck and shoulders with my hands, trying to memorize him, convince myself he was real and this all wasn't just a dream.

It wasn't, because when his arms lifted me up and onto the counter, I realized I wasn't breathing. I let out a sigh, that I took back in when Niall pulled away and looked into my eyes. His hand brushed my side, "You're so beautiful when you're not the one in charge," He leaned back in and settled his mouth beside my ear, his warm breath sending shivers across my skin when he spoke. "You should do it more often."

I let out a shaky laugh, "And you make me crazy when you speak in your Irish accent. You should to _that less_."

"Would you rather me talk like an American?" he said. His voice was wiped clean of his natural tone, and was _American_.

Even though I loved his regular accent more, that was… sexy.

I laughed, running my hands down his back, "No," I kissed his jaw. "I like you just the way you are."

His lips brushed my neck, "And you are just as beautiful when you are taking charge."

I smiled, and pushed him back so I could meet his lips with mine again. Briefly though. When I pulled back, he frowned. I giggled, "I have to finish your dinner."

He dropped his hands to either side of my legs, and grinned a very boyish grin. "Five more minutes?"

The words alone were enough, but the smooth quality of his voice made me feel like I had to jump off the Empire State Building just to top the feeling. I sighed, reached over and turned the burner off, then wrapped my arms around him. Into his hair, I whispered, "I'll give you three."

_**Harry's POV:**_

"She's different," Lou said as soon as I closed the sliding glass door behind me. He was leaning against the railing, the chilly wind whipping his hair against his forehead.

I joined him, "What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean." At my puzzled stare, he added, "Jara."

An odd feeling stirred in my gut at the mention of her name. "What about her," My voice cracked.

"She _likes_ you, that's what!" he hissed. He wasn't mad; only irritated at my ignorance. "And you like her back!"

My jaw dropped, but I snapped it shut, "I do not."

"Oh, whatever, mate."

I raised an eyebrow, "No, not 'whatever'. I'm serious, I don't."

Lou sighed, his breath forming a cloud of steam against the chilly autumn air. "You do. You just don't know it."

"W-what?"

"I know you, Harry," he explained softly. "I've known you for years. You're my best mate, and I _know you_. I saw the way you kissed her-"

"That meant nothing," I snapped, then cleared my throat. "I've kissed tons of girls. It was nothing special."

"You just _think_ that, because you're telling yourself that," he stated. "I saw the look in your eyes when she kissed you. I see the way your entire face lights up at the sight of her. I see the way you look at her; hear the way you talk to and about her."

"So, I'm just being polite."

He scoffed, "Whatever you say, Haz. You like her. You're just like Niall is with Kayla, and like Zayn is with Kota." He elbowed me in the ribs. "You're smitten."

"_Smitten?_" It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Nice word choice."

"Well, it's true!"

"It is not," I mumbled.

"Okay, would you rather me say _enchanted by_, or… _taken with_… maybe _fondness_-"

I cut him off with a chuckle, "Stop…" I bite the inside of my cheek, having a mental conflict. "You're… you're right, Lou."

"I know."

I looked at him in surprise, "Sure you do…" I looked out across the beautiful city that was my home, taking in the familiar sights and smells. _God, I missed this on tour._ "I do like her."

"Yes!" Lou cheered quietly, so the others couldn't hear him. "Now _that_ I know."

I shook my head, "I don't know if _she_ likes _me_, though."

"You're Harry Styles, of course she likes you."

I sighed, "I know… but I don't want her to like me _just_ because of who I am, but for… _who I am._"

He nodded, but I knew he didn't understand.

I continued, "I don't want her to like me because I'm a pop star, and _every other teenage girl does. _I want her to because of the_ real me._ Not who the media makes me out to be."

"Isn't that the point of _dating_? To get to know one another?"

I nodded, slowly. "Yeah, I guess."

"So, what are you waiting for?"

I looked up at him. His eagerness was almost rolling off him. I snorted, "I don't want to to go tweeting it to the world."

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Seriously? You don't even trust her enough to think she won't do that?" I nodded again, and he frowned. "Why not? You should, trust her, I mean. What would it hurt?"

"Why should I?"

The look in his eyes said that he was thinking what I was thinking. _Because, it happened before_.

"Can't you see it?" This confused me. "These girls aren't like any others. They're down to earth, sweet, kind, trustworthy. Even Kota, and, God knows how she is…"

He was right. He was right, and we both knew it.

"I've known her for two days, but…" I breathed in and out slowly. "I can see it. You're right."

He nodded, "Go."

I tensed. "But, is it the right time?"

He thought for a moment, then shook his head, a smile creeping across his features. "No. Wait for another time. Sometime more… romantic."

I shared his smile, then hugged him. Not too long though -we _were_ men. "Thanks Lou."

"Any time, Haz," He patted my shoulder.

"You know, Ellie is lucky to have you," I said. Eleanor was on a trip to see her family, and Lou was just being his old, quirky self when Jara kissed him and Liam on the cheek.

He smiled, "Thanks."

* * *

All through dinner, Jara was _killing _me. She eventually came out of her bedroom, wearing a blue dress that complemented her long legs. I tried not to stare, but it was impossible. She just looked so _good_. She sat beside me, and I could smell her perfume even after she'd gotten up to wash the dishes. I couldn't tell you how many times she accidently bumped my hand or knee with hers, or flipped her hair so that it blew a gust of strawberry-scented wind my way.

I couldn't even concentrate on the food, because I couldn't take my eyes off her. Every time she made eye contact with me, I fought the heat rising to my cheeks, but couldn't help the squeak in my voice as I spoke.

Lou caught my eye every time I managed to look away from her, and raised his eyebrows, or winked at me. _Hint, hint, mate._

I knew he wanted me to ask her, but I wasn't ready. Besides, I knew _exactly_ when I would.

_**Kota's POV:**_

I smiled over at Kayla -who always ignored me for Niall- every few minutes. I knew she saw it though -Harry's hungry eyes. It was too obvious, and he wasn't even trying to hide it. I caught Jara's eye a few times, though. I winked at her once, and she smiled. Harry didn't even notice.

I still had my plan set out. It was ready, and all I had to do…

"Zayn," I whispered, once the others had gone to help clean up. I caught his arm, and pulled him into the corner.

He raised an eyebrow, sending butterflies swarming in my belly. "What's up, cutie?"

I couldn't fight off the grin, "I have an idea."

"Oh?" he asked, reaching out to pull me against him. "Does this plan involve us going somewhere more private."

Now I had to fight off the grimace that crossed my features. As good as a little closet-action sounded to him, tonight wasn't the night.

I shook my head, and he frowned. "But it involves Harry and Jara."

"I'm listening."

I quickly -and quietly- explained my entire plan to him, and by the end of it, his smirk was a little too infectious.

He pressed his lips to mine, a little more subtly than usual, "You're a genius."

I giggled, "I know. So, are you in?"

"Yeah, I'm in!"

I was doing a happy-dance on the inside. This was going to be… _magical._

_**Jara's POV:**_

Oh my gosh. I think it worked! I think I nearly drove Harry over the edge! I caught him staring, and I caught the nervousness he was emanating. My friends were geniuses.

We all sat in the living room, debating what to do.

"I want to watch a movie," Zayn -who had his arm around Kota- said.

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm up for one."

The rest of us agreed. I was too tired to oppose, even though I wasn't up for the idea.

Kota grinned, and stood. "Zayn? You wanna come to the movie-rental place with me?"

"Sure," he stood too, then they both left.

Once the door shut behind them, Harry smiled, "I don't think I want to know what kind of movie those two are renting."

I snorted, "Me neither."

The rest of us just talked, waiting for the couple to return with our movie. We talked about everything and nothing; America, England, the trip, funny childhood memories.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!" Harry said to me, cutting me off mid-sentence. I didn't mind, one bit. "Your little sister seriously ate a raw fish?"

"Yup," I said, popping the 'p'. "Straight out of the pond."

He laughed, "Ugh! That's so-"

The lights went out. _Completely_ out. My heart leapt in my chest, and I reached out, my fingers trying to find purchase on anything, to make sure I hadn't fallen into nothingness. That purchase was Harry's arm.

His voice squeaked when he finished his last word, "Gross…"


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back, you impatient turds! I swear you lot have no ability to wait! Well, anyways, I've been a little swamped lately, and I have a lot going on, so I apologize if I'm keeping you waiting on my fan fiction. Also, I released to my friends today (Congratulations you guys! You're the first to know!) I'm planning on doing a sequel to THIS FF. I'm debating a name, but it's getting planned out. I won't start writing it until I finish this, so... might be another month or so. My grammar changed a little towards the end (as in, expanded) that's because... I'm not sure, I'm just reading more, and learning new vocabulary, and I was tired of using the same words over and over, so is my new BFF. I will also be releasing a Hunger Games FF, for Halloween. Maybe. Or Mortal Instruments... I don't know, just keep looking for updates! And...**_

_**ENJOY THE CHAPTER ;D ~KDLaughs**_

* * *

_**Chapter Eight: Lights Out**_

_**Kota's POV:**_

Zayn and I did as we were meant to -go rent a movie- but we didn't come straight back to the hotel room. I know what you're thinking, and no, we didn't make a pit-stop in a dark alley so we could 'have a moment alone.' Okay, we made _a_ pit stop… at the supply closet at the end of the hall on the floor our room was on.

I think you need to shoot the pervert deep within you, because we _weren't doing what you think_. Geez.

With the movie we rented safely tucked under Zayn's favorite varsity jacket, we ducked into the closet and turned the light on. Not that I'd expected infra-red lasers to burn our ankles upon entry, but getting in was easier than I'd thought. Not even the surveillance cameras were pointed our way. I could've murdered Zayn in there, and no one would ever find out. Until someone needed some Windex or something… By the way, I would _never_ lift a finger to harm the always-beautiful Zayn Malik. I was ecstatic just by the fact that there was a slight possibility he was into me. Okay, more than slight but…

"Where is it?" I whispered over to him. My eyes scanned the shelves of cleaning supplies, not finding our target.

"Should be…" he looked around, eyes narrowed. I tried -_tried_, as in, not succeeding- not to stare. He took a step forward, "Here"

He pushed aside a rolling cart full of clean sheets ad bedspreads, revealing what we were in there for. The breaker box. _Score_.

I sighed in relief, and pulled open the cover. It looked simple enough -to me, at least… thanks to my older brother, Justin for teaching me a thing or two about electric circuits. The switches were labeled with tape, with the room numbers scrawled across them in black ink. My finger hovered for a split second, my mind double-checking the right number.

My finger twitched, and the switch deactivated.

I knew the goal was complete when I heard an all-too-familiar scream from down the hall.

_**Kayla's POV:**_

I yelped. Loud and shrill. Luckily, I'd been sitting close enough to Niall, that all I had to do was reach out, and wrap my arms around him for support. The dark didn't scare me… but the fact that I was unable to find anything to look at to calm me out of my hysterics.

"You alright?" I felt Niall's breath on the back of my neck as I tucked my head against his shoulder, squeezing my eyes shut. The darkness was more bearable that way.

"Y-yeah," I whispered, cursing myself mentally for being such a wimp. At least we weren't stuck at the top of the Ferris wheel. Then I'd be freaking out.

"What just happened?" I heard Liam ask. I was wondering that too, idly.

"The lights went out," Louis said, and I could almost see the smirk on his face.

"Shut up," Jara hissed. Uh-oh. She was _terribly_ afraid of the dark.

"You okay, Jara?" I asked, relaxing a little, settling my head in the crook of Niall's neck, feeling his arms go around my shoulders.

"No I'm not okay," She snapped. Through clenched teeth.

"Where's your phone?" I asked her, attempting to calm her down.

"Oh," She breathed, and I heard her rummaging in her pocket. "Here," as she said it, a rectangle of light shone across our faces. I automatically relaxed a little more. So did Jara, by the way she leaned over on her free arm, and turned the screen towards Harry to see his face.

He was pale -or he just looked like it, in the blue light.

"Harry?" Jara said cautiously, resting her hand on his arm; her voice still shook a little.

Color flooded his cheeks at the slight touch, "I'm alright."

Jara locked eyes with me -I think- and I raised my eyebrows at her. Apparently she did look at me, because she turned back to Harry, scooting a little closer to him. "Well, I'm not."

His eyes widened, but he didn't protest when she slung her legs across his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. They breathed shaky twin sighs.

I smiled against Niall's shoulder. Okay, not how I'd planned this portion of the evening…

_**Kota's POV:**_

I pushed open the door to our room, Zayn a few inches behind me. I pretended to be oblivious to the darkness that seemed to cave in around us.

"Hey, we're back!" I called, reaching for his hand. "We have the-" I paused, the darkness hiding my smile as I continued to play it up. "Oh my god… what happened?"

"The lights went out," I heard someone -Liam, I think- say.

"Just in here?" Zayn asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket to light our way into the living area, where we found the others in a crowded circle in the floor. Both Kayla and Jara were snuggled up to their guys of choice -hmm, guess which two?

"They're not out anywhere else?" Kayla asked.

I shook my head, the realized they couldn't see the movement, "Nope, just in here."

"Must've kicked a breaker or something," Niall said.

I glanced at Zayn's faint silhouette beside me, hoping he could see my smirk.

"I think I remember seeing candles in the closet this morning when I was looking for my wallet…" I trailed off, then pulled Zayn to said closet and flung the door open, relying on my faint memory and the dim glow of his phone for guidance. Of course, I hadn't _found _the candles… I'd brought them from home…

_**Jara's POV:**_

Shortly after Kota and Zayn got back, the room was filled with the warm glow of the half dozen unscented candles that were now lit around the space in which we were occupying. It made the fact that I was… cuddling… with Harry Styles even more special.

"So," Kota said, settling down next to Zayn. "Since we have no electricity… how about a game of truth or dare?"

Kayla groaned, "No, that was fun and all last time, but I don't quite trust some of the dares," she shot a death glare at Zayn and Kota. "around an open flame."

We all laughed, the weight of the darkness that hid in the corners of my vision lifting off my lungs.

"Well, we have to do _something_!" Kota said, rolling her eyes at the previous comment.

After a few minutes of debating, we ended up digging up an old Monopoly board from under the entertainment center. But it only had four game pieces.

"Teams?" Kayla suggested. She'd already called banker. I wasn't about to object.

"Sure," Kota shrugged. "You and Niall, me and Zayn, Liam and Lou, and Harry… and Jara."

"Great!" Kayla flashed a dorky grin over at me. "It'll be like Home-Ec. class in tenth grade."

"Only this time, it's a board game," Kota countered, emphasizing the statement by dumping the dice onto the board. "Not plastic baby dolls and fake marriages."

The boys looked at us, confused, as we laughed.

I smiled, "Yeah, Kayla. I'm never having a child with you again!"

She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand as she began to snort a little. I loved it when I did that to her.

Niall was _very_ confused at that, and kept looking back and forth between Kayla and I. "What?"

"Don't worry Niall, I'm sure Jara left a little of her for you to enjoy."

I glared daggers at Zayn, liking him even _less_, if that were possible.

Kayla and Niall's cheeks both burned red. I think mine probably did too.

Surprisingly, Niall was the first to speak again, "Zayn, quit. You have no idea what these girls' values are." I saw his grip on Kayla tighten as he sighed, trying to calm himself.

She whispered something in his ear, and he immediately relaxed, nodding slowly. "I'm sorry, lad. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Zayn raised a dark eyebrow, "No problem?"

Kayla smiled at Niall, hugging him closer.

"I call dibs on the car!" Louis exclaimed, shooting a hand out to grab the object.

"No! The money bag!" Liam shouted, swatting his hands away.

Their quarrel was interrupted by Kota's laugh, "Sorry guys, all there is: the dog, the thimble, the hat, and the shoe."

They both sat back, crossing their arms over their chests in pouts, "Fine," Liam huffed. "We get the hat."

"Shoe," Zayn said, elbowing Kota jokingly in the ribs.

"Dog!" Harry shouted, making my ears ring with the sudden, delightful sound.

"Thimble?" Kayla asked, pivoting her head to glance at Niall.

"Come on, Kay," I laughed. "You don't mind. You use them all the time at home."

Niall looked back at her, "You sew?"

She shifted, looking suddenly uncomfortable, "A little."

Kota snorted, rolling her blue eyes for good measure, "A little? Please, you fixed my eighth grade formal dress with a fork and a string from your sweater."

"No, it was the 'emergency sewing kit' she had in her purse for 'just-in-case.'" I corrected.

Kayla sighed, "Does it matter? Let's just play the game."

_**Kayla's POV:**_

I have to say, One Direction may have been British, but they could play a mean game of Monopoly. Liam and Louis -the only full-Direction team, I might add- won in the end. When I checked my phone for the time, I leaned out of Niall's lap, where I'd been sitting the entire game, and fell onto the floor.

"Kayla, are you alright?" He asked, though he was smiling. I have to admit, I probably looked pretty ridiculous out of context.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just-" I looked at my phone screen, rubbing my sleepy eyes, trying to make the image clearer. It still said the same thing. "It might be one-thirty…"

Zayn swore, and I was _very_ tempted to slap him. "Is it really that late?"

I nodded, turning my phone screen towards the others, "Yeah."

"We should probably be headed back, then…" Harry said slowly, visibly tightening his arms around Jara.

We were all silent, disappointment settling heavily on our shoulders. Miranda and Paul had called around ten and told us not to stay up late, then left to do an all night business… planning… thing. Clearly, we'd forgotten to follow that rule. I noticed then how dim the lights were. The candles had burned really low, and I could barely make out the huddled figures around me. A four hour game of Monopoly.

"Yeah, I guess you should," Jara said, biting the inside of her cheek.

Liam and Louis stood up, and told us they were leaving after giving each of us a pat on the head and telling us to "sleep well." As if we wouldn't after that.

I got up off the floor, and pulled Niall with me, while Kota and Zayn went to say goodbye in the light coming from the hallway, leaving Jara and Harry on the floor.

We ducked into the bathroom and pulled out our phones to see each other's faces. We sighed simultaneously.

"What do we have planned for tomorrow?" I asked quietly.

"I think we were going to brave the mall?" he said, more of a question than a statement.

I nodded, "Sounds good. But what about the…" _Fans_.

He leaned closer, "Looks like Robert will be chaperoning our outing, then, won't he?"

I smiled, and met his lips halfway.

_Sigh, I'd never get used to this._

_**Jara's POV:**_

It happened. I was hoping it would, and wouldn't at the same time. When Kayla and Niall got up to say goodbye, I was positively terrified that any part of me was hoping it would. Harry and I were alone. That was also when I was completely aware of the entire situation. I was sitting on Harry's lap, his arms were around me, there was almost no light, all I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears… and that this was all planned. I mentally cursed Kota and Kayla. Then I noticed two other things. One, with Harry, I wasn't aware of the darkness, only the lack of light -his green eyes were all the light I needed. Two… our faces were incredibly close.

The breath hitched in my throat, and Harry found this as a bad sign… and lifted me off him. I felt suddenly cold and alone without him there. Sappy, right? His eyes still looked down at me, a mix of emotions flickering through them all in an instant.

"Um," he said, and I heard a rustling noise. I could -almost- see him scratching the back of his neck. "I had fun tonight."

I gulped, "Yeah, me too."

He breathed quickly, "Sorry about… what happened with the lights."

"I-it wasn't your fault, Harry," I said, wanting to reach out and touch him, but too afraid that I'd miss in the dark and look like a fool. "It wasn't anyone's." _Maybe not._

"Yeah…" I heard his feet shuffle under him, and I stood up with him.

I was killing myself over the fact that this was so awkward. The only thing that broke the awkward silence was the lights flickering back on, making me jump out of my skin.

"I guess… I'll see you tomorrow then?" Harry sighed after a long time.

"Y-yeah, sure…" I looked away. "I guess so."

As I watched his back as he crossed the room to the door and grabbed the handle, my heart collapsed . I couldn't stand to see his expression, so I looked away, and sank onto the couch. Shoving my head in my hands, I stifled a sob. This trip wasn't going as planned.

That's how Kayla and Niall found me when they came out of the bathroom.

_**Kota's POV:**_

Once Zayn and I were sure Liam and Louis were down the hall, he pressed me up against the wall with his body, and we shared a long, deep, lingering kiss. It wasn't a new thing, but I was too tired to put in the effort it took to do more than wrap my arms around his neck and hold him there. I eventually pulled back, and pushed him gently away from me, then grabbed his arm to lead him to the closet.

I opened the door, and came face-to-butt with a janitor. His back was to us, but I could see over his shoulder that he was rearranging the already-neat cleaning supplies on the shelves.

Zayn cleared his throat and the janitor turned around to face us. He put a hand over his heart, "My, my, you startled me! What are you kids doing out this late."

I glanced at Zayn and he smirked at me. _Okay, looks like we're taking that approach_. I batted my eyelashes at the man, reaching behind me to take Zayn's hand. "I- we…"

The man stared at us uncomprehendingly.

I sighed, "The lights are off… in o-our room, and…" I bit my lip, avoiding eye contact. "We can't… have _fun_ without light…"

"Oh," his eyes widened. "_Oh._ Sorry. I… noticed that one of the switches were-" He blinked, reaching behind him. He flicked the switch with my room number on it. "Sorry. I must've accidentally hit it earlier…"

I giggled as Zayn hooked an arm around my waist and tugged me out of the closet. Just before a grabbed the doorknob and pulled it shut, I mumbled a "Thank you" to the flustered janitor. If I were him, I'd hate my life. Especially my job.

He let go of me when we were back to where we'd previously been kissing, and we were already giggling and laughing our heads off.

Eventually, we gained _some_ composure, and he told me, "You might actually be good as an actress one day."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, like that's gonna happen." I smiled up at him, though. "But, thank you. I was the lead in the Drama Class play two years in a row."

"Hmm, very impressive," he laughed. He pressed his lips to mine, briefly, before the door to our left swung open and Harry stepped out.

He pressed his lips together, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Oh, you weren't interrupting," Zayn said, leaning a hand against the wall beside my head. "You're free to join us if you'd like."

I snorted, "Don't I have a say in this?" I turned to Harry, still smiling. "We're perfectly fine alone."

He didn't even smile; mine slipped. I figured after we left him alone with Jara, he'd be… I don't know, _not_ acting like a zombie? He turned on his heel and stalked towards the elevator.

Zayn looked back at me after Harry had left, raising an eyebrow in question.

I sighed, trying to rid myself of every ounce of disappointment in my being with the sound, "I guess it didn't work…"

"Hey," he said, but I kept my eyes on the floor. "Hey. Kota, look at me." He grabbed my chin, and turned my gaze on him. "This isn't your fault. Maybe they're just not meant to be together."

"But…" I bit my tongue. "Have you been watching them? I mean," I gestured to the elevator where Harry had just been. "he looks like he lost everything he owns."

"I know," he whispered, with a gentleness that I didn't know he contained. That gentleness was reflected in his dark eyes, and the lightness of his hand on my cheek. "But maybe this is just a passing thing. Maybe they'll both meet other people. Until then, we'll just have to let them get over it."

"But if they _both_ like each other, then why won't they admit it?"

He sighed, brushing his thumb over my cheekbone, "Sometimes, relationships aren't as easy as mine and yours, or Niall's and Kayla's. We just need to give them space."

I scoffed, "That's a completely different view you have from when we knocked out the lights a few hours ago."

"Trial and error," he muttered with a shrug.

I jerked my head to the door, and I stepped to take the handle, but it flung open and a bulky figure plowed into me, before a thin hand grabbed me and yanked me inside.

_**Kayla's POV:**_

Niall and I heard someone leave after we'd just stood there kissing for a few minutes. Then I heard the heart-wrenching sound of my best friend's choked sob. With a glance at Niall, I slipped out of the bathroom, finding the lights back on in the main room. We hadn't even tried turning the one in the bathroom on; there was no need to.

Jara was crumpled on the couch, with her face in her hands, holding her breath trying to keep from sobbing. I crouched in front of her, and pulled her hands away from her face, revealing the few tears that managed to escape her eyes.

"Hey, hey," I said softly, grabbing a tissue out of the box on the coffee table for her to wipe her face. "Tell me what's wrong."

In a strangled voice, she told me what had happened after we stepped out of the room. I was ready to kill Harry. How dare he break my best friend's heart _on her birthday trip._ I might have growled or hissed or made some sort of angry animal sound under my breath. I couldn't help it. I was protective over my people.

She shook her head, batting my hands away from the seat of the couch, where my nails were nearly ripping the seams out. "I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about. I'll get over it."

No, she wouldn't. She'd been obsessing over Harry Styles ever since Senior Year of high school started. The ultimate fangirl wasn't about to just let it go after he crushed all her hopes and dreams. I knew that. And she knew I knew, because she was avoiding eye contact.

I stood and ushered Niall towards the door, stopping briefly behind it to give him a quick peck on the lips, and shoving him out the door. I grabbed Kota -who was standing just outside the door- and pulled her inside, locking the door behind her.

"Calm down, geez," she deadpanned. "I was in the process of reaching for the door handle when you shoved your boyfriend into me."

I ignored her, and stormed back in to the living room where Jara -who hadn't moved a millimeter- still occupied the couch. I gestured to Kota, speaking to Jara, "Want me to tell her, or should I?"

"If this is about Harry, I already know," Kota interrupted Jara, who was about to protest. "I saw him leave. He looked pretty…" she glanced at me, remembering my rule about swearing. "ticked?"

I knew she was understating, just a little.

"You guys don't have to do anything, okay?" Jara said, pressing her lips together into a thin line.

"Yes, we do!" Kota and I both exclaimed.

Jara rolled her eyes and stood, then turned to the bedroom. "Whatever. You should let Harry and I work this out on our own. I'm going to bed, it's late; you should too." Then she shut the door.

Kota sighed, "I guess she's right."

I glared at her, "She is?" She nodded, and I shook my head in disbelief. "Well, I guess I'm working alone, then."

She quirked an eyebrow at me, "I never thought I'd see the day when you were the one meddling, not me."

"You were, now I'm just picking up where you left off." I turned and went to brush my teeth.

If they weren't going to do anything to make Jara happy on her birthday, then gosh darn it, I'd do everything in my power to make sure she was.

* * *

**_A/N: Bah! I almost forgot! Make sure to hit my Tumblr (What's up with KDLaughs) and read my stuffs there... As always, I love you guy SOOOO MUCH, and I send you lots of love and dead leaves if that isn't what you're currently seeing out your window!_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Yeah, sorry about that time gap... but here is your Chapter 9! Sorry it took so long, I've been officially diagnosed with this disease called "laziness", and it prevents me from doing anything useful with my life... I'm going to bed after I post this, so, bye.**_

* * *

_**Chapter Nine:**__**Because This Is So Freaking Weird!**_

_**Harry's POV:**_

"Harry! Harry!" Someone chanted in my ear. "Get up! It's time to go!"

"Five more minutes?" I moaned, rolling over to bury my face in one of the many pillows surrounding me.

Niall's persistence didn't falter as he began pulling my arm and shaking the bed with his knee, "Haz, we have to go soon!"

I lifted my head to glare at him, "No, _you_ have to go see your _girlfriend_, and you don't want to have to wait on me."

He frowned, "No, and she's not my girlfriend. You just need to get up."

"What law is preventing me from staying in this bed for the rest of the week?" I muttered, shoving my face in the pillow again.

"The one that states 'All members of One Direction must get up at the allotted time of Niall's approval'."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he couldn't see me. "Get out of my room."

"Not until you get up."

I growled, and kicked him away with both legs. He left with a huff, and I rolled over to glare at the posters on my wall. In every one, we're all happy and laughing, or singing about girls… boy, were we naive.

We hadn't even had a taste of love, let alone know what it felt like. The truth about it was: it was brutal, not easy, it was aggravating instead of relaxing. Most of all, it was not near as fun as we'd thought.

But, maybe it was just me. Maybe I just wasn't meant to be with Jara…

_Ouch_, no. I couldn't think like that. Why not? Because this weird feeling settled in the pit of my stomach every time I thought about giving up. It was like life didn't want me to be happy. Wait… what would I be doing by giving up on her? Would I be making myself happy? Would I be making _her_ happy? That's all that really mattered, right? If she was happy, I should've been happy, right?

I sighed, pulling myself upright and running a hand through my jostled mop of hair. I was so conflicted with my emotions -stupid testosterone- that I didn't feel like getting up. Not even to use the bathroom, which I needed to desperately. But if I got up, the lads would pull me out the door in my boxers and socks… straight to Jara.

Either way, I'd have to face her sooner or later. I preferred later, but apparently Niall had other plans.

"Harry Edward 'Lovesick Puppy' Styles! If you don't get dressed now, this mug of hot tea is going on your lap!" Sure enough, he appeared in my doorway, a mug of steaming liquid in his right hand.

I groaned and stood, pushing the door shut in his face whilst crossing the floor to my closet. I swear, I had a girl moment. Every article of clothing I saw nearly made me gag; I eventually ended up reaching in at random and picking something out.

I fixed my hair and brushed my teeth, then trudged out my door to the car where Niall had told me at least eleven times the rest of them were waiting.

_**Jara's POV:**_

Harry's voice…

Harry's eyes…

Harry's hair…

Harry's lips…

They all filled my dreams that night, and I woke up feeling on edge, and way too early for my liking. I was drained after the past night's emotional obstacle course. For lack of a better term, I was _living death_. At least I felt that way. Maybe actually _being_ dead would beat this feeling.

Sadly, my friends were peppy. Crap. I needed someone to feel may pain, and at that point, it seemed like the only person that could was the source of it… and I had enough of him. If he didn't like me, he could at least say so, out straight, instead of leading me on, then spitting it back in my face when I started to get hopeful.

A scent caught my attention… like vanilla mixed with strawberries. Kayla's body spray.

Why was she up so early? And… why was she in the kitchen already?

I got out of bed, wrapping a robe around me -lazily leaving the belt undone- and paced slowly into the kitchen where my best friend was bustling about. I leaned over the counter, and found her rummaging through one of the cabinets.

"What are you doing?" I asked in a groggy voice.

Startled at the sound of my voice, she jumped, and hit her head on the counter as she stood up with a griddle in her hand. "Ow!" she exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes.

"It's what you get for sleeping in the cupboards."

Now she rolled her eyes, rubbing the back of her head with her palm, "I was looking for this," she said, setting the pan on the stove.

"Why?"

"Because, Niall volunteered me to make breakfast for all of us," she bit the inside of her cheek, studying me. "And I figured you'd need a little pick-me-up after last night."

I moaned, dropping my head into my elbows on the counter, "I don't want to think about it. I don't want to think about _him_, let alone see him again."

She clucked her tongue, "Never thought I'd see the day…" she rested a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up. "I bet he's just overwhelmed by how perfect you are for him."

Pursing my lips, I shook my head at her, "No. I'm not perfect for him. _You're_ perfect for Niall, and Zayn is…" She scowled at the mention of his name. "Okay, not necessarily _perfect_ for Kota, but a good way to get her mind off Alex."

She actually cracked a grin, "I guess you're right. I _hated_ that guy. More than I hate Zayn."

I fake gasped, "Is that even possible?"

She laughed, and scrimmaged up a box of Bisquick from another cabinet.

I bit down on my lip. She somehow managed to get my mind off of-

Never mind then…

"Do we have chocolate chips and whipped cream?" I asked hopefully.

She snapped her finger in frustration, "No, dang it!" She looked back up at me through her lashes. "Could you run across the street to the convenient store to get some?"

"Are you sure they have any?"

"Yup," she nodded. "I checked with Miranda earlier."

"Wow, you are so prepared, it's scary sometimes."

She smiled coyly, "I know." She swept her hand towards me. "Shoo! Get out! Let me cook!"

I shook my head, laughing my way into the bathroom.

With my jacket pulled tightly around me, I jogged across the street in the pouring rain, my hood drawn close to preserve any warmth that lingered on my skin after the thirty seconds I'd been outside. If the store was any farther away, I wouldn't have agreed to go. And if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't -like, physically- eat pancakes without chocolate chips and whipped cream; it was a federal crime, to me.

I, being the complete opposite of Kayla, forgot to bring an umbrella, and had to settle for soaking my least favorite jacket.

The store was expectantly basically empty. My eyes scanned the short rows of medicines, hair products, makeup, bathroom supplies, cleaning supplies, and the slightly larger grocery section. Shaking the beads of water out of my fringe, I hustled over to the food.

It wasn't hard to find the chips or the cream, and after I did the math -well, tried to do it- to figure out the difference between a pound and a dollar, I was ready to go.

As I was making my way toward the front counter, someone knocked into my side. I growled and turned to the offender, "Mind watching where you're going?"

Then I got a look at the person and mentally face-palmed. Harry stood beside me awkwardly, a bouquet of brightly colored flowers in one hand, his phone in his other. His eyes were watching me through his lashes like he hadn't even moved his head when he ran into me.

His lips pressed into a line, "Sorry."

"Oh- oh, it's okay, um…" I would've said more, but my eyes were locked on the flowers as my eyebrows bunched together. "Wha-what are those?"

He looked up at me in confusion, then I pointed to the flowers, and he said, "Oh. Niall asked me to get these for him. He's waiting outside with the others. I guess he's giving these to Kayla…" He raised the bouquet, and a pang of sadness jolted through me.

_What?_ I asked myself. _Did you seriously think those were for __**you**__?_

I sighed, feeling my cheeks burning.

"Um, are you going to pick those up?" he asked, looking at me with a strange expression.

"Pick what up?"

"Those," he said slowly, nodding downward. I looked where he gestured, and saw that my chocolate chips and whipped cream were now on the floor. They must've gotten knocked out of my hands when he ran into me. Embarrassing.

I bent down to pick them up, and kept my eyes on them as I spoke again as I straightened, "Yeah. Thanks. Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

_Because this is so freaking weird!_

I shook my head, "Never mind."

As I checked out, he waited behind me as I slowly got out my money and gave it to the cranky clerk.

Once outside again, I pulled my hood back up, shielding my paper bag from the chilly rain with my body as if it was a human. Louis, Liam, Niall, and Zayn were all there, leaning against the front of our hotel, talking amongst themselves. When they saw me, they all smiled and waved, and Louis ran across the street to me and hugged me.

"Hey, Jara Bear!"

I giggled, "Hello, Louis!"

"How are you this fine morning?" He offered me his arm with a goofy grin on his face, and I took it, and was lead by him to the hotel lobby. I wish Harry would do that…

"You call this fine?"

"Yes, of course!" He exclaimed. "This is our equivalent of your sunshine and rainbows!"

I snorted, and stepped into the elevator, followed by the guys.

Louis shoved me beside Harry. Let's just say, that was the most awkward elevator ride, _ever!_

_**Kayla's POV:**_

"There, now all that's missing is the chips and cream!" I said with a smile, resting my hands on my hips.

"Uh, and people to _eat_ the food," Kota said, rubbing her cheeks as if trying to ward off her need to sleep.

"Oh, they'll be here in a minute, I'm sure," I said, and sure enough, sixty seconds later, Louis ran into the room and put his hands up.

"Kayla! Close your eyes!"

"What? Why?" I prodded, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't ask! Just _do_!" He shouted back, and I covered my eyes with my fingers, not even peeking, scared of what I'd see.

I heard the shuffle of footsteps, the squeak of the couch, then Lou said -quieter this time, "Alright, you can open your eyes, now."

I dropped my hands.

Niall was kneeling a foot in front of me, a bouquet of daisies and lilacs extended towards me, and a huge, Cheshire cat grin on his face that matched mine.

"Niall!" I squealed, and pulled him up by the hand that was holding the flowers, to that I could hold them and his hand. "You're too sweet." I lifted the bushel to my nose and sniffed the fragrance that reminded me of my childhood. "These are beautiful."

"I bought them because when I saw them," he began, and I looked back up at him. "I thought of you."

"Aww!" I smiled again, my bottom lip quivering, and wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "No one has ever given me flowers besides my dad, and my grandma when I'm sick." I kissed his jaw and slowly made my way to his mouth, murmuring "thank you" against them.

"Your welcome," he replied, and gave me a kiss more beautiful than the flowers that hid our faces from the others.

_**Kota's POV:**_

"You know, I thought about getting you flowers, too, but I didn't know if you'd like them."

I sat beside Zayn on the couch again, watching the _"love-fest" _from a distance. He chuckled in my ear after I said this.

"Aren't I the one, if either of us, to give you flowers?" he asked quietly.

"Hey, it was my master plan, man," I smiled at my unintentional rhyme.

He snorted, "I wouldn't have liked the flowers, anyways."

"Good, because I was too lazy to run across the street and buy twenty cent flowers. Not even for you."

_**Harry's POV:**_

I watched the kissing couple from a few feet away, where I leaned against the wall, as far away from Jara as possible. She was putting the chocolate chips and whipped cream on the counter and piling them onto a pile of pancakes.

Actually, I was more jealous than anything about Kayla and Niall's perfect relationship. Because, right then, my love life… sucked.

I actually felt half way nauseous as I heard a sound that might have been a lick or a smack of a tongue against another tongue. I averted my eyes, disgusted more at myself. Niall was one of my best friends. My band mate. My _brother_. I should've felt happy for him, and deep down, I think I was. But my anger at myself shielded that from my eyes, hiding it somewhere in the depths of my screwed-up brain.

What I'd thought earlier in the morning, about us being naïve when it came to girls, I took back for the others. That only involved me, and my stupid conflicting feelings. And the girl causing them of course.

God, why do I keep blaming her? It's not her fault she's incredibly beautiful, talented, nice, funny, and the girl of my dreams! I kept pushing her away, and why? She deserved better than me, that's why. I'd always said in those stupid interviews that I didn't want to date girls because my fans are all my girlfriends, and I didn't want to cheat on them. Not completely wrong, but far from the truth, still.

All my life, I'd been looking for the perfect girl. I even told those retarded magazines what I liked in a girl, hoping one that fit my standards would be brave enough to stand out and talk to me. How shallow, of me.

And now, that girl had just been delivered to me by heaven's angels, and I was being an idiot and pushing her away.

When I'd made her cry, I felt her tears, even though I was halfway out of the building by then.

Was it that I didn't want _myself_ to be happy? Or maybe I was just testing to see how much Jara truly liked me, and how much she was just using me.

Either way, I was being a major butt hole to her, and to my friends.

Something about that girl… I have no idea what on earth it was, made me nervous around her. This kind of nervousness was worse than the stage fright I'd experienced through the beginning of my musical career, and even now. It was _way_ worse. It was the kind that was on the border of anxiety and nervousness, the kind that made me say and do the most incredibly stupid things.

How long had I known the girl? A total of 48 hours? Maybe? Not even!

So, I'd only just met her, and somehow, she had managed to turn my whole world upside down! I was now questioning my life choices! Why was I questioning my life choices? I suddenly wondered what my life would be like if I hadn't been on X-Factor. I wouldn't be friends with the lads, but I would probably be able to have a normal relationship. But then… if I hadn't been in One Direction in the first place, the odds of Jara and I meeting were little to none.

Ugh! Why does life have to be so hard!

I wished I had a time machine to get in and go into the future to ask myself how I got where I would be. Maybe I'd be married, with kids, living in a huge, beautiful house somewhere out in the country, where I had a good, steady job, an adoring wife, brilliant kids… Believe it or not, that's the first time I'd ever imagined my life like that. I always thought that I'd be some sort of rock legend. Maybe I'd go solo, eventually, then the mates and I split up. Which I hope we never did. When we're eighty years old in a nursing home somewhere, I want to look over and see Zayn still trying to arm wrestle with Liam, see Niall wolfing down cups of blended foods because he doesn't have any more teeth. I want to be able to talk to Louis about the "good days".

Wait… these are the good days…

I'm young, have a great career. People around the globe know my name, hear my voice. They may call me gay, but they have no idea of the millions of girls that tweet me every day, saying how much they love me. And I ignored them. Just because I'm a jerk.

Again, now I had a girl who was brave enough to talk to me in person, be real around me. For the first time in years, _I felt real_.

There was something in those light eyes that drove me into a state of not knowing my own name, that made me forget the thousands of people who had my pictures on their walls, some of them may be covered in lip-shaped lines, the people who called me a fraud and other words that I won't repeat. She made me forget everything I once new, and created another world for me to live in. I world where my heart was held prisoner by her. And it was a willing slave, my heart.

When I got in close proximity to her, smelled her sweet perfume, saw every emotion reflected in her eyes, my knees grew weak, I lost all coherent thought, and I couldn't even form a proper word. She took my breath away.

I didn't realize I was staring until the picture before me started to move. Kayla and Niall stepped away from each other, and she turned to Jara, saying something to her that I couldn't hear, because I was lost in my own recovering thoughts.

"Harry?" Louis said slowly, finally letting some sort of sound into my ears.

I jerked towards him, a little too quickly. Curse you, whiplash. "Yeah?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Are you okay? You look like you're somewhere out on cloud eight."

"Don't you mean cloud _nine_?"

"No, cloud nine is a happy daydreaming place. Cloud eight is more sad, like you were looking. I thought you were thinking about dead puppies or something."

I rolled my eyes, "No, not puppies."

"But, something dead, right?"

_Only my dead heart_, I thought, but shook my head at him.

"Now that you have your sugar," Liam said to Kayla, making her cheeks flare. "Can we have ours?"

She smiled warmly at him, then looked at all of the rest of us, "Yes, go ahead. Plates are in the cabinet, and syrup and the other fixings are on the counter."

We all jumped in line, and I chickened out, "_letting_" Liam stand in between Jara and I as we all fixed our plates. I ran out of luck, though, when we all sat down. Everyone took every seat except the one beside her. Great, there goes avoiding her like the plague.

With a frown, I sat beside her as the conversations picked up. After everyone's first bite, they went "Mmm" and complimented Kayla on her cooking. Well, everyone except sullen old me, of course.

"So, what are our plans for today?" Louis, who sat across from me, asked.

"The mall," Niall responded. He and Kayla shared a quick smile.

"The mall?" Zayn asked, his dark eyebrows shooting to his hairline. "Isn't that a bit of a bad idea?"

Kota agreed, "Yeah, going to the movies was a risk, but lucky for us, it's rather hard to see when there's practically no light in the theater."

"Robert's waiting for my call," Niall explained, waving his phone in the air. "If we need him, he'll be there."

"Shouldn't we give the guy a break, though?" Liam asked. "I mean, protecting us from screaming fans at a concert is his job, but he doesn't have to look after us when we're doing recreational activities."

"We'll be careful," Kayla said, giving an eye roll that I'd noticed she did a lot. "It's not like we're going to stand in the middle of the store and scream, 'Hey, look! It's One Direction! Let's all mob them and ask for their autographs!'"

"I know, but have you seen some of these girls?" Zayn asked, shuddering a little, probably remembering a not-so-pleasant encounter with one. "It's like they have trackers on us!"

"Well, they don't, which is why we are going to the mall," Kayla explained, shoving a forkful of pancakes in her mouth, seeming to close the subject.

But, of course, someone -a certain Jara- couldn't resist saying, "Didn't we just go to the mall, like, the day before yesterday?"

"Not this one," Niall said with a grin. "We're not even staying on this side of the city."

"Then where are we going?" Jara asked. I couldn't help looking at her. She was beautiful without even trying, even in only a t-shirt and blue jeans.

I guess Niall and Kayla were smiling when they both said, at the same time, "You'll see."

_**Jara's POV:**_

Kayla and Niall were creeping me out. Majorly. They sat in the front now, him driving and exchanging smiles with her, and one time, I looked up and they were holding hands. Now I know how she felt when I went out with Brandon. Gross.

I guess some dark part of me didn't want anyone else to be happy, since I wasn't. Yeah, yeah, I know… I'm a sour puss. And I don't care.

Harry was now just being a jerk to everyone. The nerve of _males_! I was afraid if even Louis tried to talk to him, he'd snap and send a chair out the window. Kind of scary, right? Well, every time I pictured this in my head, I saw myself coming up behind him and wrapping my arms around him, whispering comforting things to him, calming him down.

In reality, if I did that, my life would be over… wait, not literally. Harry's not a violent person… I don't think…

When we pulled up to the building, my brain… yeah, it might have died.

Before us stood a four story structure, a parking garage beside it, where we were headed. There were so many signs outside, advertising each store inside, that I had to take a few deep breaths. There was no way we would make it through the whole mall in one day. And if we did, we'd be bankrupt by the end of it.

We parked in one of the upper floors of the parking garage, and when we got out of the car, the sounds of children laughing filled my ears. I was jealous of them. At least they didn't have to worry about love, just yet. _Sigh_, life was so much easier when you're seven.

"Alright, lads," Niall said, walking in front of us all, leading us to a set of double doors. "We can't do anything to draw attention to ourselves, so, talk quietly, keep your heads down-"

"Why don't we just go back to the hotel?" Kota asked sarcastically, her arm looped around Zayn's. "The whole fun of going to the mall is sticking your nose in the air and screaming at the top of your lungs."

"I'm starting to sense a little bit of a crude humor about you," Zayn chuckled, and she elbowed him.

"I'm serious," Niall said, his face only proving that point. "You said, yourself, Zayn: Those girls can be crazy sometimes. We don't want to have to call Robert. His life is boring enough."

"Then why do we need to not draw attention to ourselves? He might enjoy a little action." Louis earned a few questioning gazes, and he ducked his head, muttering, "Poor word choice, I see."

Kota snickered. I rolled my eyes, "I get it, Louis. But Niall, I see where you're coming from, too. We shouldn't attract attention to you guys, but we _should_ do something nice for him. He has a tough job."

A few of my comrades shrugged their shoulders, and others murmured an assortment of, okay's and alright's.

_**Harry's POV:**_

My ability to stay away from Jara proved to be even more difficult when she suggested that we do something for Robert. God, why does she have to be so nice and sweet? Why can't she be a total jerk, or even better, another crazy fan? Ugh! My life is terrible!

Something like a magnetic pull brought me to walk beside her. My brain was running over all sorts of lame things to say, like, "Nice weather, huh?" But surprisingly, what came out of my mouth was, "I'm sorry."

She glanced at me as we all piled through the doors, shock registering on her beautiful face. "Excuse me?"

I cleared my throat, avoiding her eyes, looking anywhere but at her, "I said, I'm sorry."

She snorted, and the last shreds of happiness in me died. "Sorry for what?"

"For being a jerk."

She stopped walking, and the others continued, not noticing that we weren't following. She turned fully to me, and pulled me with her into a photo booth, where the loud voices of the people outside was hushed. "What do you mean?"

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, "Jara, I am so sorry. I've been a terrible person to you. I don't know what it is, but when I'm with you, I want to hug you to me and push you away at the same time. I know I've only known you for a few days, but… I really like you…"

Her breath hitched in her throat, and her eyes widened. Her cheeks turned bright pink, and she blinked, looking down at her hands. "I-I don't know what to say," she whispered.

I stared at her, probably making her uncomfortable, but I didn't care. She was just so beautiful, I couldn't put it into words. "Then don't say anything."

Jara looked back up at me, her jaw dropping open a little, just enough for her lips to part. I leaned towards her, my resolve breaking, and pressed my lips to hers gently. My entire body relaxed, and I leaned even further, pushing her back against the side of the booth.

Suddenly, she turned her head, making my lips meet her cheek instead. I pulled back, but she wasn't looking at me. I touched her chin to move her gaze towards me, but she pushed my hand away.

"I like you, Harry," she mumbled, avoiding my eyes. "But you can't just kiss me and make it all better. You hurt me, and it's not something a kiss can't help. I'm hurting; you caused it, and you'll just have to live with that for a few more days, then I'll go back home and we'll never have to see each other again. Until then… don't try to talk to me." Then she slipped out of the booth, the curtain swaying with her departure.

I hopped out after her, and looked around for her. When I spotted her, she was half way down the other end of the mall, still moving quickly. I watched her until I couldn't see her anymore, then leaned against the side of that picture booth, where she'd ripped my heart out, and thundered out of my reach with it.

Inside, I was dead. On the outside, the tears started falling.

* * *

**_A/N: Yeah... that's what my brain does when I'm in a bad mood. Chapter 10, later this Thanksgiving Break, maybe..._**


End file.
